Living Different Lives
by Nova5621
Summary: [Complete] Raiden has a crush on a host. After joining the club, his sister appears and all pretenses are thrown out the window. Family secrets begin to unravel and questions of love, life and friendship begin to surface. Is everything really as perfect as it seems to be or do people really lead different lives?
1. Chapter 1 - The First Meeting

Rated T for language and references to sexual themes. Note: This story will contain shounen ai and non shounen ai elationships.

EDITED: July 5, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Hiding underground with the cool kids  
>I just choose to not want to choose things<br>We're living different lives"

- Just Another Night by Icona Pop

* * *

><p>"Raiden! Please bring us some tea!" Tamaki's hand fluttered in the air.<p>

"Hai, Tamaki-senpai!" Raiden rushed between sofas and scattered tables. He arrived promptly behind the sofa his senpai and his guests were currently sitting at.

"Ladies, have you met my newest apprentice? This is Raiden Moriyama."

Raiden had moved around the sofa with a tray in hand. He placed it on the table gently before bowing, "It is a pleasure to meet all of your acquaintances."

Some girls giggled. "What brings you to the host club, Raiden-kun?"

"Oh, you know, I just want to be able to talk to pretty girls a little better," he shot them a grin. The girls giggled again.

"Perfect! Raiden!" Tamaki shot out thumbs up. Raiden bowed again and swiftly walked away.

He pushed his cart around. I love the host club, he thought happily. He still couldn't believe they agreed to let him join. He hoped they would give them a chance after he found out Fujioka was allowed to join.

Last Monday he finally gathered the courage and found himself at the third music room. He was surprised to find a fifth year elementary student in the clubroom, but grateful because if it were not for the eleven year old, Tamaki probably would not have agreed to let him join.

It seemed at the time the king of the host club was a little emotionally unstable and needed reassurance that he was indeed a great host and teacher.

Raiden stopped next to Haruhi's table. "Would you ladies like some tea or cake?" He said with a smile, his smile tugging a little harder considering he really was asking everyone at the table. He recognized the girls from his class, but he couldn't quite place their names.

"Oh, thank you Raiden. I'd like some tea," the girl with light brown hair said.

"I'd like some lemon cake please," a girl with jet-black hair blushed.

"I'm on it." Raiden lifted a porcelain teacup. When he began to pour the tea something caught his eye.

His eyes landed on Kaoru and Hikaru. The boys were wrapped around each other causing the girls around them to squeal. He could feel himself sighing softly.

He turned back to the tea he was pouring and noticed he almost spilt the hot tea onto his hand. Hoping the girls didn't notice, he placed the cup back on its respective plate and placed it on the table in front of the girl. He knelt down near the bottom tray and cut a perfect slice of cake.

"It is so nice to see you here, Raiden," the girl waiting for her cake said.

"Really? Why do you say that?" He placed the cake down in front of her.

"It's nice to see you outside the classroom. That's all," she offered him another smile.

He returned it with another bright grin. "Enjoy yourselves ladies."

He pushed his cart away from Haruhi and her guests. He found himself making his way toward his upperclassmen. He braced himself for Hani-senpai's onslaught of cuteness.

Hani must have spotted him from the corner of his eye because he jumped out of his seat happily and pranced toward Raiden.

"Rai-chan! Did you bring me some yummy cake today?" Hani peaked underneath the cart, his eyes landing on five different cakes.

"Hani-senpai, I've brought different cakes for your choosing." Raiden parked his little cart next to Hani and Mori-senpai's main area.

Hani once again settled down in between two girls who giggled at his antics.

"Hello, Mori-senpai. Would you like some tea?" Mori nodded silently. Raiden quickly poured his senpai a cup and placed it gently down in front of him.

"Hani-senpai?" Raiden looked over at him happily. Hani grinned. "What kind of cake would you like to eat today?"

"I want the lemon cake!"

Raiden nodded and began to cut a piece. Once he was done, he placed the plate filled with cake down in front of Hani. "Enjoy!"

He continued this routine until club hours were over. He tapped his leg pocket unconsciously and found something amiss. His cellphone was missing.

# # #

Reina tugged at her skirt reluctantly. She couldn't believe her brother was making her do this. She gazed up at the tall pristine walls. Clean. Royal like. Pink?

"I'd forgotten how grand this place was," She quietly said to herself. She entered through two large French doors. Music Room 3, the little paper she held read.

"I don't know the first place to look for this damn room."

A tall gangly boy with crimson red hair crossed in front of her. "Excuse me," she called out, daring to get closer, "I'm looking for music room 3. Do you know where it is?"

"Huh!" The boy held a glare.

"I'm looking for music room 3," Reina said cautiously.

"Can't help you!" He said quickly and stomped off.

The environment was completely foreign. Reina had never been in the high school wing of Ouran Academy before.

"Third music room." Reina said to herself. "Does that mean it's on the third floor? Is there three floors?" She gazed around looking for a staircase.

Just then a small group of girls walked into the lobby, wearing yellow cupcake shaped dresses.

Those are cute, Reina thought innocently, looking down at her own drab uniform. Ours are pretty boring and normal.

"Excuse me." Reina jogged over to the girls. They looked at her with surprise, their brown curls bouncing along with their head. "Um, can you help me find the third music room?"

One of the girls stifled a giggle behind her hand. "You're looking for the host club?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. I have to drop something off but I don't know where to start looking. I'm sorry." Reina quickly apologized.

"It's not problem." The girl on the left said. "You just go down this hall and you make a right. The main staircase will be right there. You go to the third floor and you take a left. It'll be the last door in the south wing."

"Thank you so much. I appreciate it." She bowed quickly before making her way toward the staircase. Reina took the stairs two at a time, reaching the third floor in a matter of minutes. She followed the girl's directions, walking rather quickly down the hall, but taking in all the sights that Ouran Academy had. Reina slowed to a stop in front of the door to the third music room.

# # #

"I'm sorry for the late notice, Kyouya-senpai," Raiden's eyes remained on the floor.

"It's alright, Raiden. Since club hours are over I don't think it should cause any problem." Kyouya smirked but it did not seem very appeasing.

"Uh, thanks Kyouya-senpai."

Hani emerged from nowhere, "Rai-chan, your sister is coming?"

"Yeah, I forgot my phone at home and I asked her if she could come drop it off but since it's the end of the day it seems kind of pointless now. I didn't really think this through," he whispered the last part.

"Does your sister look like you, Raiden?" Haruhi asked. He was standing next to Hani.

"Oh yeah, a lot of people say we look like twins actually," he rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, "but I don't believe them really. We don't look anything alike."

Suddenly, a soft clicking sound echoed around the room. All eyes flew to the door.

A head peaked out. "Raiden," it whispered.

A girl entered the room but she donned the ill-fated uniform the whole club hated, except Raiden, Haruhi, and Kyouya of course.

"Whoa, it's really pretty in he-ahh"

A flurry of blond took over her vision and then darkness.

"Tamaki-senpai!"

# # #

"Mori-senpai! Thank goodness you're here. Can you help me move her?"

"What were you thinking Tamaki-senpai?"

"Wah, I. Well. Look at her uniform!"

"Ooh," a pair of voices droned.

"She's my sister! I told you she would be visiting today!"

"Rai-chan. I didn't know Reina Moriyama was your sister."

"Kaoru, doesn't she look familiar?"

"She sure does, Hikaru. But from where?"

"Tamaki-senpai. Kyouya-senpai. This is my sister, Reina. She attends St. Lobelia Women's Institute."

"Yes I am aware! What is she doing here? The Zuka club changed their tactics and are sending attractive young women here to steal our Haruhi?!"

# # #

Reina's eyes began to open. Eight pairs of blinking eyes stared down at her. Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Reina, are you okay?" She heard her brother's calm voice amid the confusion.

"What happened?" She tried to get up. "Ooh. Ow. My head." She held a hand to her head but her brother was already there with an ice pack.

"My senpai tackled you." He said again calmly.

"Oh. Okay." She clutched the ice herself. Raiden stood back to watch her. "Wait, what? Why did he tackle me? I thought this was a host club not some American football gang or...oh I can't do this." Reina lay back down.

"Mademoiselle, I am so sorry. It was I who knocked you down. I thought you were someone else." Tamaki looked sincere.

"Do you usually tackle girls when they walk into a room?"

Snickers could be heard behind them.

"Oh. Reina this is Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin." Raiden moved her attention to two boys who looked identical. He moved around to grab another arm. "This is Haruhi Fujioka. They're all in my class."

"Wait, one boy with two names or is there really two boys standing in front of me?" Reina grimaced.

"Two boys," the twins answered for her in a playful tone.

"Nee-chan," Raiden's voice sounded almost motherly.

"Moriyama-senpai." Everyone's attention moved to the dark haired teen with glasses. "What brings you here?"

"Ootori-kun," she paused, "Well, I was bringing something for my brother." She stuck her hand into her pocket and brought out a white cellphone. Raiden looked confused. How did his sister know Kyouya?

"Next time call Akihiko to bring it. I almost died this time."

"I'm so sorry!" Tamaki wailed in the background.

"I should go now." Reina stood up from her seat. Raiden grabbed her arm gently. "I'll walk you down."

"Wait! Rei-chan!"

The Moriyama siblings turned around at the same time.

"Haninozuka-kun. Morinozuka-kun." Reina felt her face begin to warm. "Oh, it's so great to see you but I can't chat right now. I have the sudden urge to throw up and that's a bad sign...I might have a concussion." She made another movement to the door.

"Come back another day, Rei-chan!" Hani waved.

Reina simply nodded. The siblings began to move toward the door when Kyouya's voice stopped them. "Senpai, I think it would be best if we got you to a hospital. I can have a car drive you there immediately."

"What? No I can't let you do that." She gripped the ice pack closer to her head trying not to wince.

"No, I'm sure it's the least we could do," Kyouya shot Tamaki a look. Tamaki cowered in the corner.

"I don't want to impose on you any further."

"It's nothing." Kyouya walked up to the brother and sister.

"Raiden, why don't you wait here? I'll make sure your sister gets proper care."

Kyouya took Reina's arm in his and walked out of the room swiftly.

"Did Kyouya-senpai just steal my sister?" Raiden looked at the door confused.

# # #

"It was great seeing you again, Moriyama-senpai. Although, I wish our goodbyes were on better terms," Kyouya offered her his best host smile as she settled into the backseat of his car. His driver was waiting to drive to the nearest Ootori hospital.

"Ootori-kun, you didn't need to do this."

"Of course I did. Take care of yourself and tell your father I said hello." Kyouya shut the door and stepped away from the curb.

"Ootori?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for taking care of my brother." Reina rolled up the window, but Kyouya was able to see the flush of red spread across her cheeks.

# # #

"Hani-senpai, Mori-senpai, how do you know my sister?" Raiden was helping Haruhi clean up the clubroom.

Hani was seated at a small round table eating cake by the mouthful. "She used to be our classmate. I knew your last name sounded familiar. Didn't you think it sounded familiar, Takashi?"

Mori nodded his head.

"Yup, I recognized her right away." Hani took another bite and swallowed. "Her hair is a lot shorter though."

"Why doesn't she attend Ouran anymore?" Haruhi asked, she paused in her chores.

"I don't really know. I never really asked her," Raiden looked down at the floor.

"You never asked your own sister why she doesn't go to the same high school as you?" Kaoru asked surprised.

Raiden was taken aback. His eyes landed on Kaoru. He did not want Kaoru to think bad of him but he had to say the truth. "No."

"It seems you two have some communication issues." Hikaru commented harshly.

Raiden looked away from the twins. An overwhelming sense of shame moved around in his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Beach

Edited: July 9, 2014

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><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Come out and play

I'm ridin' my wave

Crashin' like we got just one day

The harder you go the better you feel

C'mon and grab somebody

Get ready for the weekend"

- Ready for the Weekend, Icona Pop

* * *

><p>Chapter 2 – The Beach and All that it Entails<p>

"So that's why he knocked me over," Reina commented. She brought a piece of chocolate cake to her lips.

For some reason, Reina found herself back at the host club. She was currently sitting with one of the newest members of said club.

"Sorry about that Reina-senpai," Haruhi offered a comforting look.

"I don't get why he would be worried though. St. Lobelia is a girl's school."

"Reina-senpai!" The Hitachiin twins raced to the table, interrupting her view of Haruhi.

"Why don't you sit with us?" Hikaru took her hand, "You've been ignoring us."

Kaoru picked up her plate and tea. Hikaru dragged Reina away from Haruhi's table.

She was now sitting with the Hitachiin twins and trying her hardest not to faint from their 'brotherly love' act.

"Rei-senpai?" Kaoru or was it Hikaru, sat closer to her. "Are you feeling well? Your face is really red." He placed the back of his hand on her cheek, "You're warm too."

"S-stop," she slapped his hand away. She grabbed her tea and slurped it unceremoniously.

Kaoru grinned at his brother. "Do you have a boyfriend Rei-senpai?"

"No. Not really. Well, kind of yeah," she smiled, "Hey! Don't be so familiar with me. We just met."

"No, not really? What is that supposed to mean, senpai?" Kaoru asked sweetly.

"Stop…"

"So you're a lesbian?" Hikaru asked. His hands clasped tightly under his chin, a smirk played across his face.

"No. I'm not. Why would you-"

"Well, you go to St. Lobelia," Hikaru began.

"And the girls there," Kaoru added.

"Are all lesbians," the twins said simultaneously.

"Really?" Reina held an honest look of surprise.

"Well, yeah." Kaoru was stumped.

"I didn't know that…"

"How do you not know-"

"Hikaru. Kaoru. Do not tease our guests!" Tamaki sauntered to their table.

"Awe! But boss!" Hikaru wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"We're just playing around, aren't we, Kaoru." Hikaru took his twin's chin in between his fingers and made Kaoru face him, "just like how we played around last night."

"Hikaru! Don't!"

Reina could feel her face begin to heat up. She began to fidget in her chair. She quickly took another sip of her tea, hoping to calm down.

"The tension…" Reina muttered.

"Huh?" The twins looked toward her.

"I'm sorry, Princess?" Tamaki asked.

"It's just like Kida and Riku from-"

"Sunflower Dynasty?!"

The three hosts plus Reina turned around. Their eyes landed on the source of the voice.

It was Renge Hoshakuji.

"Welcome to the Host Club, Reina-senpai. I'm Renge Hoshakuji. I am the club's manager."

Renge pulled Reina out of her chair and shook her hand. She shook it so hard Reina felt like she was pulling it right out of her arm socket, but she tried her best to hide the pain.

"It's very nice too meet you, Hoshakuji-kun. But I thought Ootori-kun was the manager."

"Yes, well they need a lot of help here. Especially when it comes to their themes and cosplay and such. I see you fell for the twins act," Renge said with a grin.

Reina straightened herself out and groaned, "No."

"It's okay. Half the school is in love with them. Come this way. Leave the boys to their own games," Renge took hold of Reina's arm again and dragged her to a different part of the room leaving the twins and Tamaki standing a little speechless. Reina was able to shoot them a glare before leaving. Renge sat her down at the table Kyouya currently inhabited with his laptop. Reina offered him a small smile before returning her attention to the girl opposite her.

"You like Sunflower Dynasty?" Renge asked.

Reina simply nodded. Confusion still flooded her eyes. "I only started watching the anime a few weeks ago but I'm already on episode 95."

"Do you watch any other anime?"

"Oh yes. As much as I can whenever I can really," Reina commented lightly. This made Kyouya look up from his laptop briefly.

"Really?! What are some of your favorites?" Renge leaned in closer.

"Well, I'm a huge fan of Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Uh…Naruto-"

"Do you like an shoujo anime?"

"Kimi ni Todoke," Reina paused suddenly, "I guess I read more shoujo than I do watch it but not much really. I like shounen anime mostly, I guess."

"Do you play dating games or anything like that?" Renge asked excitedly.

"No. Not really. I play Legend of Zelda every now and then. Oh, I just discovered this dating game called Ninja Love. Have you heard of it?"

Renge's face looked droopy but visibly brightened with the mention of Ninja Love, "I started playing that one too a few weeks ago, but Uki Doki Memorial will always be my favorite. Oh. Do you cosplay?"

"No, but I like it. People have created some amazing things."

"Awe! You should try it some time!"

"Oh great," Hikaru groaned from a few feet away.

"Another otaku," Kaoru sighed.

"Come on boys," Tamaki scooted them away, "It'll be good to have more girls around."

They gazed from afar. The two girls talked quietly amongst themselves – in their own little world.

# # #

"My brother is adorable," Reina said sternly.

"Sure he is. Adorable. He has a baby face," Renge waved her hand nonchalantly.

"I don't have a baby face," Raiden held a pout. He was just walking past his sister and the lady manager when they began talking about the boys.

"Yes you do," Renge and Reina said at the same time making them grin at each other.

"Just you watch, Renge, before you know it, my brother will have the quickest growth spurt and will become the sexiest student at Ouran. Girls and boys…will not be able to get their eyes off him. I think he looks pretty cute now, with his dyed hair and too big for his face glasses. He's adorable. We actually used to look a lot alike before he dyed it."

"Nee-chan!" Raiden shoved her in the shoulder, "Stop."

The other members of the club were beginning to notice the growing interactions between Renge and Reina. Hikaru and Kaoru just walked up to the table.

"I'm trying to defend your honor and you're punching me. You stop!"

"Raiden does not have a chance against Kyouya or Haruhi," Renge said matter-of-factly.

"I bet he does. Just you watch. The men in the Moriyama family are blessed with good looks," Reina bragged. She tossed her short hair over her shoulder dramatically.

"Nee-chan. Stop. Let's just go home," Raiden groaned, he pulled her shirtsleeve.

"You're ready?" Reina jumped out of her seat. He nodded.

"Doesn't that make you sad?" The twins suddenly appeared on the side of Reina's face.

"What?"

"You just said Moriyama men are blessed with good looks. What about the woman?" Hikaru asked.

Kaoru's hands were on his hips, "are the women not blessed in the same way?"

Reina shook her head, "Nope."

"Well that explains-"

"How plain looking you are."

"Thanks," Reina replied sarcastically.

"You have plain gray eyes. Your hair is un-uniquely short and you don't wear any makeup to bring out any of your features." Kaoru commented.

"Which would probably be your mouth and eyes," Hikaru added, "because they're so big."

"Hika-chan, Kao-chan," Hani walked up to the small group with Mori in tow. "Why are you saying mean things?. I think she looks pretty, don't you think Takashi?"

Reina's eyes immediately flicked over to the tall boy. He silently nodded. She sighed and looked away. She poked Hikaru and Kaoru in the chest. "I look pretty hot with make up on. I'd hate to wish that upon you." She poked them again.

Raiden pulled his sister's sleeve again, "Nee-chan, lets go. I'll see you guys later." Raiden pulled his sister out of the room.

"You probably should go back to your natural color soon. You look washed out," they heard her say out the door.

* * *

><p>Raiden burst into his sister's bedroom. He felt for her over her blankets and shook her roughly. "Wake up."<p>

"Go away."

"Come on, get up."

"It's summer. Let me sleep." She pushed her head underneath her pillow.

"Reina, The guys are down the street right now. I'm meeting up with them."

"Good for you. Good for them."

"We're going to the beach. Come one. I already packed your bag."

"What?!"

# # #

"How does this even happen?" Reina asked. She stared out into the large expanse of ocean. She lifted her hand to shade her eyes from the sun.

"I would also like to know," Haruhi commented.

"Well I wanted the whole club to come and since Raiden recently joined I thought it was a good idea to extend the invitation," Tamaki announced happily, wrapping an arm around Reina's shoulders and swaying, "thanks for joining us!"

She tried to smile but it only came out as a grimace.

Once Tamaki let go she walked over to her bag and picked it up. "Are we going swimming or what?"

Kyouya led them to the summerhouse they would be staying at

"What a large home," Reina whispered under her breath.

"It belongs to the Nekozawa family, who happily offered to let us stay for the duration of our visit." Kyouya explained to her.

"Nekozawa…?" She questioned, staring widely at the home. Kyouya noticed her blank stare.

The hosts plus Reina only changed into swimwear, allowing the servants to put their luggage into their respective rooms. When Reina finally made it back to the beach she noticed Haruhi sitting under an umbrella, still clothed.

"You're not going swimming, Fujioka-kun?"

"Huh? No."

"Oh, alright…" Reina began to look around, searching for her brother.

"Nee-chan!" Raiden ran up to his sister. "Don't forget the sunblock."

"Thank you." The two siblings walked away from Haruhi's makeshift haven and took turns with the bottle and began to spread the UV protection over their arms and legs. "Why isn't Fujioka-kun going swimming? Can he swim?" Reina asked.

Raiden stopped suddenly. He just remembered that his sister still didn't know Haruhi was in fact a girl. "Um, I don't know."

"I'll race you to that rock," Reina announced changing the subject.

"You're on!" Raiden threw the bottle of sunblock toward the towels and umbrellas and raced for the rock a few yards away in the water. Reina jumped in after him.

"Look at them go, Takashi." Hani mused happily.

Mori nodded.

Raiden just reached the rock a few seconds before his sister causing her to spray him in the face with seawater.

"It's nice seeing Reina again, even after all these years."

"Hani-senpai! Mori-senpai!" Their guests arrived.

The twins lay in their beach chairs lazily. "Now, Rei-senpai has the ideal body for a two-piece swimsuit," Hikaru commented lightly.

"I agree. She's not flat chested like somebody we know." Kaoru stared pointedly at Haruhi, "plus she has a nice curvaceous waist. Ideal for a two-piece."

"Don't talk about our new friend that way!" Tamaki slapped them on their arms.

"I like her swimsuit," Hikaru added. "It looks familiar."

"Way too familiar…". The brothers exchanged looks.

The teens led a joyful day on the beach. Reina and Raiden joined the twins for a game of volleyball. Reina had to take another dip in the water because she ended up covered in sand. They even took part in Hani and Mori's session of tai chi.

Currently, Reina was lying on her towel, presumably, passed out from the day's activities. "I'm so tired," she whined.

Kyouya, who was sitting next to her examining his notebook, chuckled. "You did use a lot of energy for that last sprint through the water."

"What else was I supposed to do, my dignity was at stake."

"It's just a race."

"You don't see the small pleasures in life, Ootori." She threw a small seashell at his chest. "I'm going to tell you this though, I never imagined I would see you in a bathing suit. I never would have imagined seeing any of you in a bathing suit, mind you. Too many handsome people in one place. It's overwhelming."

"Really? Who did you enjoy seeing the most today, Moriyama-senpai?" Kyouya teased.

Her jaw dropped and she looked away, searching through her mind for an answer, but before she could find one Raiden dropped down next to her. He rested his head on her stomach and groaned. "I'm so tired!"

"Haruhi!"

Raiden's and Reina's head shot up quickly looking for the source of the screams. Kyouya turned also, searching for Haruhi.

"Tamaki-senpai, help! It's Haruhi." Some of the female customers were running across the beach, screaming, and pointing at the cliffs.

Everything happened too quickly. Tamaki and the twins ran after Haruhi. From the beach Raiden and Reina could see Haruhi being pushed into the ocean and Tamaki jumping in after him.

The host club gathered on the beach waiting for Tamaki to reach them with Haruhi in his arms.

"Fujioka-kun?" Reina called out.

"I'm fine," Haruhi grumbled.

Mori held a towel out. Tamaki gently placed Haruhi in the taller man's arms.

"What were you thinking?" Tamaki asked. His eyes were downcast. "Are you secretly a martial artist like Hani? Do you have diving experience?"

"What? No."

"Then what gives? You didn't call us, even though we were right here! Did you think a girl could take on three guys all alone?" Tamaki's voice was stern.

"What does being a girl have to do with it? There's no time when you're on the spot…" Haruhi answered simply.

"Well, think a little. Idiot!"

"I apologize for troubling you guys, but I don't see why I should be scolded for anything else. I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Is that so? Find do whatever you want! I won't speak to you until you admit your mistake!"

Tamaki walked away, but turned around a few times with a little hope in his eyes, that Haruhi would apologize.

"Wait," Reina's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. "Haruhi is a girl?"

The group trudged up to the beach house slowly. Haruhi was walking next to Reina.

"I can't believe…I didn't realize you were a girl!" Reina yelled with exasperation. "I'm such an idiot!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "It's your own fault, senpai."

"I know but you don't…" Reina glanced over to Haruhi, studying her face. Her eyes widened, "I didn't mean that you don't look like a girl, well you don't but not that," she paused, "you don't act like a girl! And you were wearing the boys uniform so I just assumed…"

Hikaru and Kaoru chuckled from behind. Reina shot them a glare.

# # #

Currently, the boys sat around in the dark living room playing a board game, surrounded by candles because the raging storm outside blew the lights out. Haruhi and Reina were visibly missing.

"4, 5, 6. You break your left wrist in an automobile accident in five years. What?" Hikaru said in a complaining tone.

"Twelve years from now, your company goes bankrupt and you become a department store janitor. Impossible," Kyouya huffed.

"I will shrink 2 centimeters in ten years time," Hani giggled.

"Raiden," Takashi's voice traveled softly. Raiden's head shot up from the board game. "Where is your sister?"

"Oh, she's in her room. She's mad at me. I think," Raiden said sadly.

"Why is she mad?" Hani asked, he gripped his bunny closer to his chest.

Raiden sighed. "I think she's mad because she looked at me like this," he stopped and narrowed his eyes at his senpai, "and then she went back on her phone and closed the door in my face."

Hani offered him a small smile.

"Muhaha, look at this. I'm going to get struck by lightning in three minutes," Nekozawa muttered. Since Nekozawa invited them to stay at his family's home, he tagged along for the fun, but because of his condition he stayed indoors the whole day.

"Why are we staying in such a creepy house?" Tamaki pulled on Kyouya's sleeve.

"It would be rude to decline an invitation to a mansion," Kyouya explained," however, it being all free really puts a weight on my heart…"

Tamaki yelled again, but the lights surged on abruptly, flooding the room with brightness. This time, Nekozawa yelled and scurried away, while Haruhi appeared in the doorway. "The circuit breaker was down. I found it in the basement and flipped it up," she announced.

"Haruhi, are those clothes yours?" Tamaki asked timidly. Haruhi looked down at the frilly dress she was wearing.

"Yeah, dad must've repacked my luggage. He wants to make me wear things like this." She was wearing a designer brand dress. The dress fell to her knees and left her shoulders mostly uncovered.

"Haruhi you're so cute!" Hani pounced.

"Why are you barefoot?" The twins pranced toward her.

"Let's play with her hair too."

"We're guests here you know," Haruhi groaned.

"Please, princess."

The twins sat her down in a chair.

Raiden looked in between Hikaru and Kaoru watching from afar as the twins fussed about her. They were teasing her and Tamaki and having fun while doing it. He wondered briefly why they found that amusing.

The Host Club soon herded themselves into the dining room. Everyone was sitting, however, Mori and Nekozawa were missing.

"Where's Nekozawa?" Kaoru asked.

"He wanted to turn in early. The electricity was… well, a shock to him," Kyouya answered.

"So the fortune came true?" Kaoru chuckled.

The door opened suddenly. Mori had returned with Reina in tow.

"Rei-chan!" Hani beamed.

"Hello, everyone. I hope I'm not intruding. Morinozuka-kun told me you were about to start dinner." Mori led Reina to a seat. She ended up sitting across from her brother. Mori took the seat next to her.

"Thank you for joining us," Kyouya said pleasantly.

Their food was served. "Giant tuna for Haruhi!" Hani announced handing her the dish.

Reina could feel the tension around the table. She moved her food around her plate with her fork. Were the boy still upset over what happened on the beach?

"Reina," Raiden mumbled. "Go ahead and eat. I know it's your favorite."

On her plate were a few pieces of giant tuna and crab, "thank you."

She ignored the conversation at the other end of the table. Mori shot her a few concerned looks. Haruhi and Tamaki were still going at it. At the moment, Haruhi was stuffing her face with crab, "I thought you weren't talking to me."

Tamaki held a glare, "So… you have no intention of reconsidering. I understand fully…" He walked to the door. "Fine then! I'm going to bed! Haruhi, you get some sleep too!" Tamaki stopped suddenly at the door, looking down the dark hallway, "Kyouya…aren't you ready for bed too?"

"I'll turn in early too," Kyouya stood up from his seat, noticing automatically Tamaki was afraid to walk down the dark hallway alone. They left together.

"He's totally bent out of shape." Hikaru said.

"Haruhi, you're eating too much crab. You'll make yourself sick." Kaoru said with limited concern.

Haruhi set down her food slowly, "should I learn karate or something?" she finally asked.

"So you're thinking about that?" Kaoru asked.

Raiden looked up from his food at the sound of Kaoru's voice.

"Well, I shouldn't stop you, but is this really about self defense? Being fearless and righteous is good, but honestly, we think you should give some serious consideration to today's incident." Hikaru answered.

"Huh? I haven't done anything to you guys! I don't know why Tamaki is so angry, but I'm sorry that my weakness caused trouble for everyone."

Raiden moved his head back and forth.

"That's not it Haruhi!" Hani interrupted. He took hold of her hands. "Let's apologize to everyone. Even Tamaki. A lot. Say you're sorry for making him worry. Okay?"

"Worry? Did you all…I'm sorry." Haruhi said. The boys wrapped their arms around her, "Awe!"

"I'm sick of this." Reina stood up from her seat harshly. Her fork clattered against the table, "I'm going to bed."

Hani and Mori whipped their heads around. Reina was already out of the room before they could protest. Raiden watched as his sister left the room.

He gave the hosts a small smile. "Sorry guys, but I'm going to bed too."

# # #

She could hear some sort of commotion outside her room. The last thing she wanted to do was see what was happening so she buried herself deeper into the armchair she currently inhabited. She stared out the window. The trees shook with windy madness and the rain pelted against her window angrily. The weather seemed to mimic the feelings from the people who were currently inside the mansion.

She picked up her phone and let the bright light make shadows on her face. She switched between apps and scrolled past posts and news feeds.

She was angry, but she could not really locate where her anger was coming from. First, she felt embarrassment because she hadn't realized Haruhi was a girl. But then it was the business with Haruhi. She knew it was none of her business, but they way Tamaki had treated the first year made her angry. Haruhi did what she thought was best at the time. She didn't deserve to be ignored or chastised for it.

And her brother, he was taking their side and he hardly knows them and they hardly know him. Right, she thought?

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. She stood in front of the door. "Raiden, I don't want to talk to you."

"It's not Raiden," A quiet voice replied. Reina opened the door promptly and found Nekozawa standing there with a small grin. "Nekozawa-kun?"

"After all this time you are still so formal with me, tsktsk." He placed his hand on his hip playfully.

"Come in."

"No. It's alright," he looked around her frame and noticed the lights were off, "I see you prefer the darkness also."

She looked over her shoulder, "Well, I never turned them on after the lights came back. I like it this way. The storm gives it a nice ambiance."

"How have you been?"

"I've been fine. Just trying to be a good student. You?"

He smiled, "Same." He looked glanced at the floor. "You know I was surprised to learn you would be coming here."

"Me too. Raiden barely told me about this trip the minute he was leaving. He had to drag me out of bed," she sighed.

"Are you two fighting?"

"Yeah, sort of. I'm kind of mad at him for not telling me about this trip. Not telling me about the club and-never mind, but yes I am slightly mad at him." She tapped the toe of her foot on the floor.

"You shouldn't be mad at him for long."

She gave him a questioning look.

"Being mad doesn't suit you."

"Shut up, Nekozawa-"

He held up a hand to stop her, "you're too polite."

"Nekozawa…?"

He shook his head.

"Umehito-kun…?"

"That's good enough, I suppose." He looked down the hallway, "I should be going."

"Thank you for visiting."

"Of course. I will like to add if it isn't too forward," Nekozawa stood just outside her doorway, "you look quite pleasant in a swimsuit."

"Shut up!" She pushed him out. She was about to close the door in his face when he caught it with hand, "Come on now, you shouldn't treat your host that way."

"Moriyama-senpai?" Kyouya stood off to the side.

"Ootori-kun? Did you need something?" she stepped out of her room and the door click behind her.

Nekozawa offered one last smile, "Have a good night, Reina. Ootori-san, you too." He walked away without a second glance. Reina stared after him with a confused look, before finally turning back to Kyouya.

"Are you alright? I heard you went to bed during dinner."

"Oh, that." Her arms were crossed neatly across her chest. "It's nothing. I was just frustrated. I think I'm over it now."

He nodded in understanding. "That is good to hear. If you need anything be sure to come to me for assistance. I'll be glad to help you with anything."

She nodded, "Thank you, Ootori-kun." She turned around to enter her room. She turned the knob, but nothing happened. She tried the door again and discovered it had locked behind her. She jiggled the door knob. "Ootori-kun?"

"Yes?" he was still standing next to her.

"I've been locked out of my room…do you think you can help me?" she held back a grim smile. Kyouya plastered his best host smile on his face, "I'm sure I can."

They walked back to his room and found the hosts gathered around his door. "What's going on?"

"Tamaki is a pervert."

Their eyes all landed on Tamaki who was on the floor next to Haruhi, who was currently wearing ear plugs and a blindfold.

"Wow, Suoh-kun. I never saw you as an S&M person," Reina commented lightly, "good for you."

# # #

"Wait here. I'll try to see if I can find the spare key." Kyouya sat her down at the foot of his bed. She only nodded. He left promptly and left her alone.

There was quite the commotion in the room only ten minutes before, but everyone went their separate ways, chastising Tamaki.

She gazed around the room and discovered it was an exact copy of hers. There was a queen-sized bed in the was a bureau, table and the opening to the on suite bathroom. She hoped he hurried back. She felt a little uncomfortable being in a strange boy's room.

Although, the sheets felt soft against her skin, "These sheets are softer than mine. Why…?" she almost growled. She didn't stop herself from flinging herself across the sheets, "oh my god it feels amazing!"

# # #

Kyouya talked briefly with the head housekeeper. She handed him the master key and told him to take care of it before walking off to the dining room to clean up. He walked back to his room without interruption. He opened his door quietly but stopped immediately at the sight his eyes landed on.

Reina was curled up on his bed fast asleep.

Now what? he asked himself.

# # #

The light was shining brightly and felt hot across her skin. She felt extremely warm. She pushed herself closer to the source, her arm circled around it tightly and it groaned.

She quickly stopped. Pillows do not groan. Her mind was still foggy from sleep, but she was also sure pillows didn't move up and down. She sat up quickly and looked down and discovered a boy lying next to her in the bed.

"Ootori!"


	3. Chapter 3 - Halloween and Scare Tactics

Edited: July 9, 2014

* * *

><p>"It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.<p>

Everything (everything) will be just fine,

everything (everything) will be alright (alright)."

- The Middle, Jimmy Eat World

* * *

><p>Chapter 3 – Halloween and Scare Tactics<p>

Reina shoved Kyouya in the shoulder, noting the softness of his skin. "What are you doing? Get up. Get out!"

His hand covered his eyes, "What are you talking about. You're the one in my room." He sat up, yawning and leaning back on his elbows.

"Why? Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

He looked down at his torso. Her eyes following his gaze. She shook her head quickly and began to climbed over his legs and stand up.

He groaned slightly at the sensation. She straightened her dress over her legs. She didn't even change into pajamas. She tried to press the wrinkles out.

"I came back and you were asleep. I tried waking you but you didn't budge. So I just went to bed." His statement was half true. He did try waking her but not as hard as he should have.

"Well, that was very forward of you." Her hands rested on her hips. Silence enveloped them. She shook her head to the door.

"Would you like to go to your room now?"

"Yes!"

He sighed and stood up from the bed. He grabbed the keys and led her out of his room. She stopped at the doorway before exiting, looking both ways just to make sure no one saw her leaving his room. He was already down the hall to her room. She ran after him, before she was able to reach him they could hear voices getting closer. She sprinted the rest of the way. The hosts began to walk down the hallway toward their rooms.

She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, grabbing his attention.

"Yes?" He asked pleasantly.

She narrowed her eyes. "No one," she took her thumb and forefinger, pressed them together, and ran them across her lips like a zipper, "I repeat, no one must know."

Kyouya smirked. "Of course."

* * *

><p>Halloween. The holiday that marks the end of summer fun and romance and the beginning of chill fall and winter holidays.<p>

Raiden took out a notebook and pen from his book bag. He noticed Haruhi doing the same thing. He caught her eye and grinned at her quickly. They were more alike than he would like to admit. They had the same study patterns and the same classes, but he was happy to have a friend in Haruhi, with her help he was finally able to become friends with the twins, something he had been trying to do for years. She was also the studious and serious type of friend he needed in his life.

Kurakano and Sakurazuka stood in front of Haruhi's desk.

"What? So there isn't any class today?" She asked.

"What?" Raiden's ears perked up. He already laid his books out on his desk.

"Oh! Didn't you know?" Kurakano said, "Since we finished our exams the teachers take the day and grade them."

"There aren't any classes on the last day of October," Sakurazuka explained.

Raiden sighed. He couldn't believe he forgot that important fact.

"There's even a school wide costume party. We're going to go change into our costumes now." The girls skipped out of the classroom.

Haruhi stood from her seat and sighed. "Well, if there's no class, I'm just going head to the library."

"Haruhi, I'll go with you." Raiden stood up also.

"Fools! Try to be a little flexible!" Hikaru stopped Haruhi mid stride. "At least wear a costume! Here! I got you a cute witch outfit…" Hikaru brandished the costume.

"Witch?" Something dawned in Haruhi's mind, "what I saw earlier at the top floor of the central wing must've been someone in costume." Haruhi looked out the window again, "hey, she's still there."

Girls whispered quietly behind them, their faces paling.

"Seriously? Let me see? Where?" Hikaru pushed her away. "I don't see anything! How about you, president?"

1-A president adjusted his glasses, "no…unfortunately, I don't see anything either. Could it be a mistake?"

"Why can't you see-" Haruhi began to ask, but was interrupted by a harsh crack, the windows behind her shattered in place.

"It's the witch's curse! Haruhi has the witch's curse! He's been cursed!" The girls began to scream. Raiden rolled his eyes. These people could be so childish sometimes. He honestly wished he could jump into the fun, but couldn't find any point in joining in.

"Huh?"

" "The witch of the central wing", it's a campus legend," the president said, "long ago, on Halloween, a student dressed as a witch fell from the central wing…"

"Uh-huh, and since then, anyone who sees her on Halloween is cursed along with everyone around them, right?" Hikaru finished the tale, "don't tell me you believe that?"

"Ow! I'm back!" Kaoru suddenly appeared back in the classroom.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru and Raiden yelled at once. Concern evident on both boy's faces.

"I tripped right outside the bathroom," Kaoru explained, showing off his injured arm.

The bells began to toll. Their heads turned quickly toward the source of the chiming. "Hey! It's not even time for the clocks to…" someone began to say.

"It's the curse! The curse on Haruhi!"

The twins picked up a their witch's costume and forced it onto the startled Haruhi. She left the room to put it on. Raiden stood back with unwavering eyes. He noticed the undeniable fact that they didn't offer him a costume. When she returned, he admitted to himself that she looked awfully cute.

"Haruhi!" Renge entered the classroom, "I heard everything! Are you alright?"

Renge entered their classroom and the first thing Raiden noticed was her costume. She was made up in a school uniform, much different from Ouran's usual uniform. He could only imagine the uniform originated from her favorite dating sims game, Uki Doki Memorial.

Before he had a chance to register this new information and ask her about it he was dragged out of the classroom by the arms of his female classmates.

# # #

"I guess you couldn't get away could you," Raiden said. The girls plus Haruhi, Raiden, and the twins were in the home economics room. Haruhi was going to teach them how to make pumpkin pie and cookies.

Haruhi shook her head. Deep down, Raiden did not really mind. He liked hanging out with Haruhi and the twins. Every time they were together, Raiden hoped that maybe he would take interest in him.

"Now, please take the dough and roll it out until it's thin. Now get out your cookie cutters." Haruhi began. "Press the cookie cutters into the dough to make your desired shapes."

Raiden placed the dough on his cooking sheet and rolled it out expertly. "Raiden you're very good at this." Haruhi commented.

"Thanks, my sister usually makes me do this part," Raiden smiled proudly.

Sakurazawa and Kurakano settled down on the counters next to him. "This is going to be a lot of fun, right Raiden-kun?"

Raiden shrugged. "Sure." He continued to roll out the dough.

"How are you able to do this so well?" Sakurazawa dropped her rolling pin on top of a pile of dough.

"You just start off small. Don't try to roll out all the dough at once. Start at the edges and then make your way out." Raiden's cookie dough was already laid out flat. He gathered some cookie cutters and was preparing to start cutting.

"Thanks, Raiden-kun. For the advice," Kurakano smiled happily.

"Don't stretch it like that." Haruhi pushed him away. "Hikaru, you're in the way. You're such a brat." Again, Raiden raised his eyes from his own tray of cookies to the small altercation happening before him.

"I'm helping you! I'm turning a boring cookie into an artistic one! And are you sure I'm Hikaru? Kaoru's no different…"

"He's completely different!" Haruhi yelled back.

Hikaru stopped. Raiden remained quiet, trying to listen in.

"When he's on his own, Kaoru is calm and relatively normal." Haruhi started to fix her cookies, "you are loud and crazy even when it's just you and you have a foul mouth."

"Hm…Is that so?" Hikaru grinned.

Raiden thought to himself. Over the years he has known the twins he has not been able to differentiate much between them. They didn't socialize much with the class and the only way he memorized their names was months of watching them call each other or a teacher call them by their first names. It was hard to even get close to the twins.

The girls dropped a pumpkin on Haruhi's table. "Haruhi! It's the last pumpkin. This is for you."

Kaoru reentered the room with bandages wrapped around his arm. Raiden's eyes lingered on his form.

"Haruhi are you going to carve your pumpkin?" He asked. "You haven't done it before, right? Start with drawing the eyes, nose, and mouth."

She began to draw a face, "Where's Hikaru?"

"Oh he's over there showing off his artistic lantern," Kaoru pointed to the boy prancing around with a pumpkin on his head.

"Haruhi! What's up with your pumpkin?!" Her pumpkin had three fangs and a pug like nose. Kaoru laughed. "It's a disaster. I'll carve a masterpiece for you!"

As Kaoru began working on Haruhi's pumpkin, Kurakano walked up to Haruhi, "Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru seem to be having a lot of fun."

"It seems like these events were created just for them," Haruhi answered.

"Last year, they were chasing around Tamaki, but they weren't so friendly with the rest of the class…" Kurakano continued.

"…Most of us have known each other since elementary school, but those two never seemed like they enjoyed school much," Sakurazuka added. Raiden nodded in agreement, even though no one was talking to him.

"I think it was after the host club was established that they gradually started talking to us. We're very happy that they're socializing with everyone today. A holiday should be enjoyed by everyone right?" Sakurazuka continued.

The girls' words resonated with Raiden. He couldn't remember the last time he celebrated like this with friends let alone his whole family.

The doors opened. Kyouya, Mori, and Hani entered. Kyouya was dressed as a priest. Mori and Hunny were dressed as dogs.

"There you are, Haruhi. Regarding the dance party, you'll be attending with the host club…" Kyouya explained, getting straight to the point.

"There you are, Haru-chan!" Hani bounced toward her. "Trick or treat!"

Haruhi gave him a cookie fresh from the oven. Hani happily took a bite, but fresh tears sprung from his eyes and he ran to Mori, "Ugh! It doesn't taste good! Salty!"

"Huh? That can't be."

"OW!" Hikaru held his hand to his chest. Blood ran down his hand.

Raiden switched his attention back and forth, between all the commotion.

"It's the witch's curse!" Screams erupted in the room.

"Kaoru!" Haruhi yelled at the twin now wearing the pumpkin, "Let's take Hikaru to the nurse's office.

"Ow…Haruhi, will you dance with us at the party?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that now?" Haruhi sounded frustrated.

"I'll go to the nurse if you promise to dance."

Haruhi stood still for a second contemplating. She rushed to Hikaru and dragged him to the sink.

"Ow! Stop it Haruhi, I'm injur-"

Haruhi rinsed his arm underneath the sink, blood washing away, and leaving nothing, not even a scratch.

"You're not injured," Haruhi commented.

She looked at the pumpkin head, "Who's in there?!"

Turned out to be the class president, "Sorry. I can't refuse a request from them."

Haruhi ran out the door and sped to the window she saw the witch the first time. Once she reached the right landing, she saw the witch gazing out the window. "Kaoru!"

# # #

"So," Tamaki leaned on his hand, "you took advantage of that school legend and tricked Haruhi."

The boys kneeled on the floor.

"You cracked the windows, changed the clocks, and switched the cookies." Haruhi added.

"Is that right?" Tamaki asked.

"We did it because-" The twins began.

"No! You must apologize to Haruhi!"

Raiden stared out the window of the host club. He leaned against the adjacent pillar and contemplated the events from the day.

"We knew you were going to give her candy and she wouldn't dress up! It's our fault but we just wanted everyone to enjoy Halloween together!"

Haruhi reflected again. They did all this for her. "Hikaru, Kaoru, let's go."

"Huh?"

"We're dancing together aren't we?"

The twins jumped up excitedly and walked out of the room with Haruhi. Raiden stared after them feeling a little lost. They did not even include him in their prank. A pang of regret stuck itself in Raiden's brain. He gazed at the empty doorway and couldn't help feeling a little more lonely than usual.

* * *

><p>"That sounds like so much fun!" It was a week after Halloween and Reina decided to pay the host club a visit. She sat with Haruhi as she retold the events from Halloween.<p>

"I suppose, but It was a real bother," Haruhi deadpanned.

Reina couldn't help but smirk, "Oh, Haruhi. They just want to have fun with you." Reina's eyes flicked over to the twins and then to her brother. "Just so you know, I still feel pretty stupid that I didn't realize you were, well you know."

It's been weeks since Reina's discovering, but she couldn't get over it.

Haruhi shrugged, "It's okay. We all get stumped every once in a while. Hey, why didn't you come to the Halloween dance?"

"Oh…I was busy."

Haruhi nodded in understanding.

"So, I'm guessing members of the host club aren't allowed to be in exclusive relationships?" Reina changed the subject, her eyes flicking over to the twins again then slowly back to Haruhi, her eyes stopping at the third year's area in between glances.

Haruhi set down the tea she was drinking. "I'm not sure if we're not allowed more like we probably shouldn't."

Two girls sat down at the table Haruhi and Reina were sitting at.

"Haruhi!"

"Hello, ladies."

Reina moved over to give them room. "The girls here are so adorable," she said without thinking.

They all looked over at her, including Haruhi.

Reina shrugged. "I mean…you guys have really cute uniforms and you're always so happy to be here. It's nice…"

"Thanks!"

"You're so kind!"

"We haven't met yet," the one with short hair said, "my name is Kimiko Sakurazuka. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Momoka Kurakano. It's a pleasure to meet you," said the one with longer dark hair.

Reina nodded. "The pleasure is mine. Reina Moriyama."

Reina relaxed a little bit. As the girls chatted around Haruhi, Reina took the time to look around the room again Raiden flitted about delivering cakes and snacks and tea. He frequented the twin's table most often.

Reina could not help but sigh. He's either trying too hard or not hard enough, she thought. They probably think he's annoying.

She snuck a glance at Haruhi and her guests before sneaking away. She caught up to her brother and stood next to him, pushing the tray along with him.

"What are you doing?" he muttered.

"I'm helping you out…" she smiled as she past by Tamaki, Hani and Mori and wheeled the cart to the twin's table.

"Hello, ladies," Raiden forced out his best host smile, but Reina could see right through it.

"Look who it is, Rei-senpai," Kaoru drawled.

"Would you ladies like anything?" Raiden interjected.

"You're coming here a lot lately," said Hikaru, "is there a specific reason why? Or maybe a specific someone?" he shook his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not really but I do like being in a room with handsome men," she grinned back, "which brings me to my main point to coming over here to your table. It has come to my attention that my little brother has not extended to you an invitation to our home. So, you are welcome to our home anytime you would like, you know, with reason, and you should probably let me know so I can get the house in order and stuff and if you want something to eat I'd have to go shopping-" she rambled.

"Okay! Nee-chan that's enough," Raiden turned her around and started to push her away from the twin's table.

"What are you doing? I'm trying to help," she whispered.

"With what? You're not helping with anything. Go sit with Mori and Hani-senpai now or something."

"What? But I was sitting with Fujioka…"

"Does it matter anyway you sit with someone random every time you come here." Raiden returned back to his tray full with sweets.

She looked around the room once more. He was right, every time she came to the host club the same people were with the same hosts and she was not. She jumped from person to person.

"Oh my gosh!" Reina suddenly yelled and gripped her face. "I'm a host slut!"

Raiden slapped his palm on his forehead.

* * *

><p>A.N. - Thanks for reading! Feel free to review and leave comments.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 - A Look Into the Lives

Edited: July 9, 2014

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 – A look into the lives of the host club<p>

"Tokyo banana," Reina muttered under her breath, "as if. He's been spending too much time with those rich kids."

Reina adjusted the strap to her reusable grocery bag. "Well Tokyo Banana isn't too hard to make and it's not that glamorous…" she muttered. She dragged her feet on the sidewalk. She lost a game of Monopoly and now she was stuck with grocery shopping duty for the next two months.

She tightened her coat before stepping into Marutomi Supermarket. It's Sunday so there was going to be a lot of good sales. Reina walked straight to the vegetable aisle and stopped in front of the cabbage.

Just as Reina was reaching out for a bundle another hand beat her too it.

"Oh excuse me," said the feminine voice. When Reina looked up she was surprised to find Haruhi holding the bundle of cabbage.

"Fujioka-kun?"

"Reina-senpai. I'm surprised to see you here."

"Me too," Reina looked behind her underclassman and eyed Tamaki, who was staring off into space in excitement. "Do you come to this market often?"

"Yeah, it has the best sales," Haruhi dropped the cabbage in her shopping basket. "You?"

"It's the closest to my house." Reina picked up her own cabbage and dropped it into her bag. Reina looked around again and seemed to find familiar faces. Is the host club lurking around?

"I'll let you go Fujioka-kun. You seem to be in a rush."

"Oh no. It's okay. Say hello to Raiden for me."

"I will," Reina bowed slightly and moved around Haruhi so she could go to the meat section.

Reina was examining pork prices when she felt a presence enter her personal space.

Kyouya leaned over the meat counter, examining prices.

"Ootori-kun," she greeted.

"Reina-senpai. I won't say I'm surprised to see you here."

Reina looked around again. "Are you guys following Haruhi and Tamaki around?"

He nodded.

Reina picked up a slab of pork and moved away from Kyouya. She went back to where she started, but this time searched through the fruit. She grabbed two cantaloupes and dropped them into her bag.

"These melons are only three dollars? That can't be right?" Kyouya's voice surrounded her but before she was able to reply rudely another voice jumped in.

"Oh, Kyouya! These types of melon are a common type of produce."

Reina turned around to find Kyouya and another person standing next to her in the aisle. Kyouya looked over at her once again with raised eyebrows.

"Reina-senpai, meet Haruhi's father."

Haruhi's father turned to her with a gracious smile. "Good afternoon, My name is Ranka Fujioka. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh no, the pleasure is mine."

"Do you go to school with my sweet daughter?"

Reina couldn't quite compose herself. His hair was much more prettier than hers. She shook her head. "No, but my younger brother attends Ouran."

"I see. What school do you attend?"

"St. Lobelia."

"Lobelia?!" Recognition spread over his face. "The all girls school with the cute uniforms?"

She nodded a little more slowly. "Yes."

He placed a hand on his chin and cocked his head a little. "What are you doing shopping in this area?" he asked honestly.

"Uh, well, I live around here."

"Really?"

Kyouya raises his eyebrows in response as well.

"Yes about three blocks from this market."

Haruhi began freaking out behind them. "Alright! Everyone out! I can't concentrate with everyone causing trouble. Just go back to the house!" She pushed everyone out the door leaving behind a slack jawed Reina.

"I'm sorry about that Reina-senpai," Haruhi sighed.

She offered her a gentle smile. "It's okay Haruhi. I'll see you around, okay?"

###

After Haruhi kicked them out of her home, the host club walked down the road searching for the Moriyama household. They decided against their car ride considering the Moriyama's apparently lived so close to Haruhi's house. As they walked further and further away from Haruhi's home they noticed some of the homes getting larger and larger.

"Are we there yet?" Hikaru complained.

"Yes, we should be there any second now," Kyouya held up his mobile phone. He conveniently had the address to the Moriyama siblings' house. Kyouya stopped suddenly causing the boys to bump into him, even making Tamaki fall to the ground.

"Here it is." Kyouya turned and let his eyes fall on the house they were searching for.

"Whoa." Kaoru commented.

"What a nice house," Tamaki said.

The home looked to be three stories. There was a stone wall surrounding the property. An iron entry gate separated the home from the public sidewalk.

Kyouya moved the gate aside and proceeded to enter. The boys followed. There was a garden that seemed to wrap around one side of the house and their footsteps were announced by large knocking sounds as they walked across a pebble lined walkway.

Kyouya stopped in front of the door and gave a hard knock.

There was a muffled yell from the inside.

"Door!"

"You go get it! I made dinner _and_ desert you ungrateful punk!"

"I need to take a shower!"

"That's because you've been on your ass all day you lazy-" The door suddenly opened with a loud gasp. The door slammed shut again. A moment later the door opened once again.

"Host club. What a pleasant surprise." Reina stood in the doorway wearing an apron and had a spatula in hand, her tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Rei-chan!" Hani moved around Mori. "We came to visit."

"Really?" she tried to smile but could not really accomplish the facial feature. "You sure?" She stared at them for a minute or two before moving aside. "Come on in guys. Remove your shoes please."

The boys entered the main foyer of the home. Hani and Mori were behind, still taking their shoes off and slipping their feet into slippers. Once the two older boys were done, they all followed Reina past a small Japanese style room, further down the hallway into a larger Western style room.

"Would you guys like some tea or coffee? Or something to eat? I made cake."

"Coffee, please."

"Tea."

"Tea and cake please."

The boys looked amongst themselves.

"I can make both…"

"Okay!"

Reina sighed, "Alright please make yourselves comfortable." She quickly turned around and left the room. The boys sat down around a short table.

"Why did we come here?" Hikaru asked.

"We visited Haruhi, we should at least visit Raiden too," Tamaki explained, "I don't want him to be left out."

"Hikaru," Kaoru whispered.

Hikaru gave his brother his whole attention.

"This will give us a chance to investigate…"

Hikaru was able to catch on to his brother's limited remarks. He immediately began looking around the room, searching for anything that might give away Reina's identity. They were convinced she was hiding something.

Reina returned carrying a tray with a teapot and cups on top. "The tea is ready. The coffee will be a few more minutes if that's okay." She set down the tray in the middle of the table. She set a plate with a cake slice aside for Hani.

"You have a lovely home, Rei-chan." Hani said with a smile.

"Thank you Haninozuka-kun. I'm sure my father would love to hear that."

"Your father? I don't think I've ever met your father." Tamaki commented.

She looked at him skeptically. "I'm not surprised. He doesn't visit Ouran very often. He's hardly home either so your chances of meeting him today are zero." She excused herself again after hearing the alarm on the coffee machine going off.

"What does her father do?" Hikaru asked.

"Is he a recluse? He's a man full of scandal who must hide in a cave?" Kaoru furthered.

Reina returned with the pot of coffee and placed it down in the middle of the table as well. She sat down next to Hani.

"Rei-chan, what does your father do?" Hani cut to the chase.

"He's a doctor." She began to fill cups with tea and began to hand them out.

"Really?" Tamaki and the twins looked surprised.

"Yeah, he works for Ootori group actually." She said nonchalantly as she poured the coffee next.

"What?!"

"You guys sound so surprised. What do you think my father does to afford such a nice house? Really guys." She handed the cups of coffee to Mori and Kyouya last.

"Kyouya why didn't you ever tell us?" Tamaki and the twins looked at him with accusing looks.

"For one, you never asked," he took a sip of coffee," and two it was none of your concern."

"What does your father do for Ootori Group?" Hani asked.

"My father is a cardiologist." Reina poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Ooh!"

Reina raised her eyebrows in recognition and took a sip of coffee.

"What does your mother do?" Hani asked innocently, he finally began to eat his cake.

Reina choked back, "My mother?" she paused. "She's a college professor."

"Really? What does she teach?" Tamaki asked this time.

"Psychology." Reina placed her cup back down on the table, apprehension obviously visible on her face.

"Do you think you can give us a tour of your house?" Hani changed the subject knowing full well she didn't want to about her parents anymore. He was already done with his piece of cake anyway.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Hikaru and Kaoru jumped at the chance. "Give us a tour!"

"Um, Okay." Reina stood from her seat and immediately pointed to a door on the side of the room. "That's the downstairs bathroom." She did not sound very enthusiastic.

The host club stood up as were ready to go wherever she was going to lead them. She lead them back out from the room and slid opens a door. "This is the kitchen and dining area."

The kitchen was fairly large with marble countertops and a tall refrigerator with a freezer. A table sitting four rested near a wall that looked like it can be open as well.

"That screen leads to the garden." She closed the door. "This way." They walked down the hall and looked inside the Japanese style room they passed before. "This is our Japanese style room. Our bedrooms are this style as well. There's a screen over there that opens to the garden as well." She pointed to the wall farthest from them. "There's a type of deck that wraps around this side of the house that allows you to connect from this room to the kitchen, and the living room."

Reina stepped back from the room and continued down the main hallway. Once they reached the main foyer she turned abruptly and stood in front of a set of stairs they all seemed to have not noticed.

"The main bedrooms are upstairs." She looked at them waiting too see if they changed their minds about the tour. They all still looked overly excited so she reluctantly began walking up the steep steps. "Watch your step," she called down.

Once on the second story they could hear music blaring from one of the bedrooms. Reina walked a little ways and stopped in front of a door. "This is my room." She opened the door.

The room was Japanese style and it held little furniture. There was a desk against the farthest wall and a dresser next to the door: floor length mirror next to the dresser. There was a large window that faced out to the street.

"Where's your bed?" Kaoru asked.

"I use a futon and it's in the closet over there." She pointed to a closet behind them, not in her bedroom at all. She left the door open and proceeded down the hall. Hikaru snuck a glance at his brother. Kaoru nodded and they both slithered into her room unnoticed.

She knocked on the next door. There was no sound. She opened the door and warmth escaped the room. "This is our washroom. As you can see it's not very large but it gets the job done."

She walked past those rooms and stopped in front of the door that was blocking the music from destroying their ears. "This is my brother's room. Raiden just got out of the shower so he's probably still changing." Reina walked to another door and opened it. "This is my father's room. It's pretty much like mine. He uses a futon too. There's his desk and bookshelf. What's cool about my dad's room though," she poked her head in making the others do the same, "is that staircase that leads to the top floor. It's just another room but it has windows that let you look down into the garden and the neighborhood. All my dad's books are up there." She closed the door.

"That's my house!" she threw her hands up enthusiastically but not really. "What did you think?"

"It's cool!" Hani said happily. "It's very traditional. I like that, don't you Takashi?"

Mori nodded. "Yeah, it's very nice."

Reina offered them a smile.

###

Raiden entered the living room with a towel on his head, "Nee-chan do you think you can make me some tea? I'm not feeling so…good?"

Seven pairs of eyes landed on Raiden.

"What?" Reina asked.

The host club plus Reina were sitting around the table in the living room, sipping on tea and coffee and watching television.

"What are you guys doing here?" he walked over to his sister slowly. She scooted over closer to Hani to allow her brother some space to sit down.

"We came to visit!" Tamaki announced happily.

"Yes, Raiden. They came to visit." She shot him a glare.

"Why?"

"We were in the neighborhood," Hikaru explained.

"Here," Kaoru handed Raiden his cup of tea. Raiden reached over to grab it. Their fingers touched briefly causing a shiver to speed up and down Raiden's spine. "You can have it. I'm full."

Raiden cupped the tea gently between his hands. Reina gave him a sideways glance, a small grin plastered on her face. "Thank you."

The twins huddled together. They seemed to be going over something in their lap.

"Rai-chan did you know you lived near Haru-chan?" Hani asked innocently.

"What? Really?" Raiden asked. Reina stared at the TV with a bored expression, her chin resting on her palm. "Really near?"

"Yeah, we were there earlier. She made us dinner! It was delicious."

"I'm going to go check the mail." Reina suddenly announced. She stood up from her seat and walked out of the room.

"Is that all you guys did today?" Raiden took a sip from his tea.

"We went to a commoner's market!" Tamaki disclosed. "The prices are so low and there were sales everywhere!"

"You guys went to the market too? It's not that amazing really," Raiden grinned. "You're hilarious."

"Bu-but, it was so full of people and food!"

"There were cakes starting at $1!" Hani added.

"Oh yeah. Marutomi market, right?" Raiden asked.

They all nodded.

"They have the best sales around here. Their bakery is the best too. My sister always gets her sweets from there."

"Your sister likes sweets?" Hani asked.

"Yeah. She has a huge sweet tooth."

Reina returned at that moment and promptly sat back down next to her brother. "Mail for you, Raiden." She handed him a letter. She placed a magazine on the table and started to open another letter haphazardly.

Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes landed immediately on the magazine Reina threw onto the table carelessly. They gave each other knowing looks before shooting a hand out to grab the magazine.

Reina looked over at the twins.

"Can we look at this magazine?" they asked innocently.

She quirked an eyebrow, "yeah, sure."

The twins grabbed the magazine and started flipping through the pages.

Reina returned her attention to the letter in her hand, "you know I'm surprised you guys took my invitation to heart…"

"I overheard you invite," Kyouya held up his cup of coffee, "I thought it was a good idea to visit."

"Of course," Reina faked smiled.

Hikaru and Kaoru muttered amongst themselves. Raiden, bored with his letter had tossed it underneath the table and began watching Kaoru from across the table. He watched as Kaoru pointed harshly at an advertisement, he flicked his eyes over to Reina, and then whispered into his brother's ear.

"What are you two hooligans up to?" Tamaki asked pointedly.

"Oh!" Hikaru gave his brother a knowing look, "we're just looking for our mother's latest fashion ads."

Reina's eyes immediately looked up from her mail.

"Why?"

"Well she told us she recently hired some new models for her newest collection," Kaoru explained.

"We're just looking for the models," Hikaru finished.

"Here it is!" Kaoru pointed at the magazine. Everyone leaned over the table including Reina. "There's a nice spread and everything.

"Wow. Where did they do those photo shoots? Hokkaido?" Hani asked.

"Is that the magazine I just got?" Reina whispered.

"I don't know but they look pretty good. Look at the jacket," Kaoru said to his brother, but Hikaru was staring at Reina, gauging for any recognition. She clearly looked nervous. She began to breathe rapidly and she was looking around at the others rather quickly.

"She's very beautiful," Tamaki pointed out. "Look how exotic. Do you think that's her real eye color."

"It's all the makeup," Reina said nastily. The twins looked up at her. She felt their stares. She moved away from the magazine. "I'll just clean this all up." Reina gathered the cups back onto the tray and left the room.

"The male model is pretty handsome too," Raiden commented offhandedly.

"I think I like these models," Kaoru finally said, looking over to his brother.

"I think I do too," Hikaru grinned.


	5. Chapter 5 - Christmas wHandsome Devils

Edited: July 9, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"And I'll be gone, gone tonight

The ground beneath my feet is open wide

The way that I've been holding on too tight

With nothing in between"

- Story of My Life, One Direction

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 - Christmas with Handsome Devils<p>

"What are you doing for Christmas?"

Reina looked away from her plate of chocolate cake and into the soft, warm eyes of Mitsukuni Haninozuka.

"Christmas?"

Reina was currently sitting with Hani and his guests. Mori was still at kendo practice. Kyouya invited her to stay for the afternoon and surprisingly she happily accepted. Honestly, she was finding it harder and harder to say no.

Hani nodded. The other girls looked on apprehensively. After announcing, unceremoniously and quite crudely that she was quote "a host slut" most of the girls who visited the host club now saw or still saw Reina as a weird sight. They shot her questioning looks and asked her question after question such as, "_who do you come to the host club for?"_ or "_how do you even know Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai?"_ Her philandering aside she still liked sitting with whomever she wanted.

"I have a date." She announced and finally took a bite from her cake.

"You have a date?" the brightness in Hani's eyes dimmed a little bit.

"Yeah, I mean isn't that what people usually do on Christmas? Go on dates." Reina placed her plate down on the coffee table and tried to ignore the pointed looks from the girls sitting around her.

"Oh, but you should try to join us for our Christmas dance we host every year." Hani looked toward the other girls, "will you be coming?"

"Of course, Hani-senpai!"

"I wouldn't miss the chance."

"The events the host club put on are always amazing."

Reina instinctively rolled her eyes and looked away from the girls as best she could. Just then, Kyouya walked over the small group.

"What is this I hear? Reina-senpai is busy on Christmas?" Kyouya held a cool gaze on his upperclassman, which Reina was trying to ignore. Her opinion of the Ootori was lowering and lowering with every word he said. She could not tell if what he said was genuine or sarcasm. Ever since she woke up in his bed she tried to hate him in the back of her mind. _He didn't doing anything but still, what a jerk!,_ she thought. She found it hard at times though, because he was so damn handsome!

"Kyo-chan! Rei-chan is telling me that she has a date for Christmas. Tell her she has to come to our dance." Hani's face looked honestly pleading.

Reina's jaw dropped.

"Well, Hani-senpai, if she doesn't want to go she doesn't have too but," Kyouya looked at Reina pointedly, "it would be a large loss on your part if you don't join us in our festivities…especially since your own brother will be there."

Reina glared at him. Kyouya's eyes lifted away from her own and focused on something above her head, "Mori-senpai, welcome back."

Mori remained silent as we walked around the sofa and sat down next to Reina. She continued to glare at Kyouya. "Think about it, Reina-senpai," he said with finality and walked away.

Her eyes landed on Hani's again. She narrowed her eyes at him but he only giggled. "Takashi, aren't you excited for the Christmas dance. It's only a week away."

* * *

><p>"I swear that's him!"<p>

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I have the magazine right here. He's the boy from the newest Hitachiin collection."

Whispers and giggles spread through the hallways of Ouran Academy's high school wing.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Raiden asked Kaoru. The twins and Haruhi were walking to the third music room. Three days until the big Christmas party and there was still things they had to settle.

"Our mother's newest model." The twins explained.

"Okay, that helps a lot," Raiden huffed, but continued to look at Kaoru from the corner of his eye. He thought back to when they had all visited his house. He never imagined seeing them in such close proximity to his personal life. It made him nervous. He was so grateful that they didn't see his room because it was a mess that day. Not that they would have paid attention anyway. They seemed so engrossed in the magazines his sister had.

"The male model attends Ouran. Well, those are the rumors," Kaoru explained further. Hikaru and Kaoru walked to the clubroom with new determination.

"Oh, I see."

The small group entered the room and immediately noticed how quiet it was. Hani was already seated eating cake, Mori was at Kendo practice again, Tamaki was sitting in a corner pouting, and Kyouya was sitting with Hani typing away on his laptop.

"What's happening here?" Haruhi asked. She dropped her book bag on the couch next to the table where Hani and Kyouya were seated.

"Club is closed today so we can finish our plans for the dance," explained Kyouya.

"Kyouya-senpai, have you heard about the Hitachiin model?" Hikaru walked up to his upperclassmen.

"Can you verify if he does indeed attend Ouran?" Kaoru stood on the other side of Kyouya. With nothing else to do, Raiden joined them.

"I don't need to do that."

"Why not?" Hikaru and Kaoru began to groan.

"Because I already know. The new Hitachiin model does indeed attend Ouran. He's in class 3-B."

"Really? What's his name?" Kaoru pushed further.

"Toya Tsukino."

"Do you know the female model's identity by any chance?" Hikaru asked.

"No...I do not."

"Hm. Toya Tsukino, huh?" Kaoru crossed his arms.

"Why do you guys care so much?" asked Raiden.

"No reason!" The twins pranced away to bug Tamaki.

"Why is Tamaki-senpai in his corner again?" Haruhi asked.

Kyouya sighed. "He's upset that he won't be able to dance with his 'precious' daughter for this dance either."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. She sat down on the couch and began her homework. Raiden had nothing else to do so he joined her on the couch. He actually has become a lot more studious since he began his first year of high school. He guessed because he had Haruhi as a friend.

He looked back toward the twins. On random days and during the briefest of moments, he wondered whether he and Kaoru could ever be more than friends. The brief moments passed by quickly, because in moments like these when Kaoru and Hikaru were together and ignoring everyone else, he wondered if he could ever push himself into their world.

###

After the meeting, Raiden decided to walk down with Hani and Mori.

"Rai-chan?"

"Yes, Hani-senpai?"

"Do you think you can ask Rei-chan to come to the Christmas party? I think it would be a lot of fun if she came too."

"Mitsukuni," Mori said sternly.

"Takashi, she should come. She's part of the family, right? Please, Rai-chan?"

Hani looked into his eyes. His big bright eyes were watery and glistening.

"I'll see what I can do," Raiden said with a sigh.

"Thanks, Rai-chan!" Hani and Takashi reached their driver and promptly slid into the car.

"It won't hurt to ask her again," Raiden said to himself.

* * *

><p>The dance began without a hitch. The hosts made their rounds, entertaining the ladies that joined them that evening. Hani couldn't help looking around to see if Reina had arrived yet.<p>

Mori was hanging around Hani. Raiden was hanging around Kaoru. Tamaki and Hikaru were hanging about Haruhi. Kyouya was expertly weaving through groups of girls and either smoothly declining or not offering to dance with anyone.

Mori just began to dance with a first year girl when Hani noticed movement around the main entrance door. He watched as Raiden walked to the door with his cellphone at his ear. Hani's excitement grew. Reina had finally arrived after the dance being two hours in.

From his angle he couldn't see very much but he knew it was Reina. Her hair was hiding much of her face, but he could tell she looked very beautiful tonight. He also noticed the arm she was wrapped around belonged to a man.

Raiden talked briefly with her before pushing her away from the main door. At this time, Hani stealthily moved out of the main dance mob and to the outskirts to meet with Reina.

"Rei-chan!" he waved happily even though deep down he was far from happy.

"Haninozuka-kun, I made it!" she feigned excitement as well. Raiden and Hani stood stiffly before the newcomers. "I didn't know you had to _buy_ a ticket to get in…"

"Nee-chan, who is this?" Raiden asked straightforwardly with little humor and a hint of malice.

"Raiden," her voice sounded stern. The boy next to her shifted uncomfortably. "This my boyfriend." She smiled, for real this time.

Shizuo moved his arm out of Reina's and bowed before her brother. "My name is Shizuo Yoshida. It's a pleasure to meet you." When he raised himself back up, Reina immediately latched herself back his arm.

"It's nice to meet you, Yoshida-kun." Hani said uncharacteristically, which Raiden and Reina noticed. "Rei-chan, you look beautiful."

"_He's_ right, nee-chan. You look stunning."

She smiled softly, "thank you."

"Where did you get that dress?" Kaoru suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Reina's breath suddenly felt short.

"It's a Hitachiin design actually," she said softly.

"I recognize it." Hikaru said from behind them. "The racer back design for the back and a lace bodice. Salmon colored and the pleated long skirt. It screams our mother. From her newest collection, right?" Hikaru joined his brother in analyzing her dress.

She stepped back slightly with a nod.

Shizuo's arm moved around her waist, "why don't we go find the drinks?" he offered quietly.

She sighed with relief and nodded. He moved her away from the small group of boys.

"What the hell, Hikaru, Kaoru?"

"What? We were just commenting on her dress…" Hikaru defended.

Hani ignored the quips between his underclassman. His eyes lingered on his old classmate and her bleached blonde haired boyfriend. He could not help noticing the care surrounding their eyes. The way he held on to her waist gently and the way she leaned into his chest. Hani could tell that they were very much in love. When did this happen? Did he fail in his mission to get Reina to notice Mori? More importantly, how long had they been dating?

###

"I swear I didn't know she had a boyfriend," Raiden pouted.

"How do you not know whether or not your sister has a boyfriend?" Kaoru asked, finding humor in the night's latest developments.

"She didn't tell me…" Raiden shrugged.

Hikaru grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him away from the group. Once he and his brother were out of earshot, he gave a pointed look at Reina. "Does this support our findings?"

"Do you think that's enough evidence?"

"She wore our mother's designs twice!" Hikaru emphasized. "Right? I remember correctly the swimsuits she used when we were at the beach were also our mother's."

Kaoru pursed his lips, "I don't know. I don't want to jump to conclusions."

"Do you think she's the girl model in our mother's new collection? Yes or no?"

Kaoru groaned. "Yes."

"Then that's settled. Don't second guess yourself."

"Now what?"

"We need to figure out a way to get it out of her."

"Get what out of whom?"

The twins startled and turned around slowly. Kyouya stood before them, amusement evident in his eyes.

"Kyouya-senpai…"

"I hope you won't be causing any trouble tonight," Kyouya's voice dripped with warning.

"Nope!"

Kyouya gave them one last look and was about to walk away when he spotted Reina. "Who is that boy she's with?"

The twins looked over. "Oh, that's Reina's boyfriend." Hikaru and Kaoru walked back to Raiden. While they were gone, Haruhi, Mori, Reina and her boyfriend joined Raiden and Hani.

"Your hair is getting longer, Rei-chan." Hani commented innocently trying to cut through the small tension surrounding them.

Reina fingered her hair. "Do you really think so? I decided to grow it out a few months ago. It's been years since I've had it longer than chin length. I'm looking forward to having it really long again."

"You used to have long hair?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, but I cut it when I started school at St. Lobelia."

"I bet you looked a lot prettier with longer hair," Hikaru said, not realizing how rude he really sounded. Haruhi shot him a pointed look. Reina's eyebrows rose at the remark.

"She looks beautiful, regardless." Shizuo whispered. He tightened the grip he had around her hand. This caused her to grin.

"Why don't you dance with your brother and your friends?" Shizuo offered, taking the glass she was holding into his other hand.

"But-"

"No, buts. You know I can't dance. I want you to have fun. Plus, your friends wanted you to be here."

Hani watched with surprise. He didn't imagine this boy to be considerate of their feelings. He immediately regretted his initial opinion of him. Shizuo was actually very kind.

"Takashi should dance with you first," Hani piped. Even though his opinion of Shizuo changed didn't mean he was going to quit his original mission. "You stand taller with the heels you're wearing. You can almost match his height." Hani defended.

"Oh, okay." She turned quickly back at Shizuo who only nodded.

Mori stuck out his hand and bowed. She placed her hand in his and let him pull her to the dance floor.

"Takashi Morinozuka?" Shizuo asked once the dancing couple were gone. Hani and the rest turned to face him.

"Yes." Hani answered. "Do you know him?"

"No, but Reina has talked about him."

Raiden snickered at Shizuo's familiarity with his sister.

"She talks about all of you actually. The host club. Her brother and his friends. Her old classmates." His eyes landed on Hani. "She mentioned how all of you are extremely handsome."

"What of it?" Hikaru asked, quickly becoming defensive.

"Nothing. Just that she was correct."

###

"Um, Morinozuka-kun, bear with me please. I'm not the best dancer." Reina muttered hesitantly. She could feel sweat begin to form on the back of her neck and in the palms of her hands and she prayed that Mori would not notice.

"You're doing fine."

As they danced the waltz she began remembering all the things she seemed to have forgotten to do. She realized how dry her hands felt compared to Mori's, evidence she forgot to put lotion on her hands and arms. She felt her feet slipping in her heels, she forgot baby powder or stick on soles. She was just grateful she remembered deodorant. The last thing she wanted was nervous sweat stench.

"You should relax."

She looked up into the eyes of her long time crush. Yes, Reina Moriyama had a crush on Takashi Morinozuka. It's something she hates admitting.

She felt her face grow hot. She tried to breathe evenly and dance through the steps, letting him lead. She pictured this scenario so many times in her head when she was younger. Dancing with him now only made her extremely nervous and she did not know why.

The song ended and he bowed.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you," she stammered. "This was nice. I'm sorry I was, I, I don't dance much."

He offered her a small rare smile. A smile that made her eyes widen and made her take a step back.

"Reina we need to talk," her brother rushed in and pulled her away.

Raiden and Reina stood in the corner of the ballroom.

"What's wrong with you?" Reina had never seen her brother so forceful. His fingers left marks on her arm.

"What's wrong with _me_? You! What's wrong with _you_? Why did you bring that boy here?" Raiden's eyes were ablaze. His chest was hot with rage.

"Raiden," she said softly, "He's my boyfriend and my date for tonight. Why wouldn't I bring him?"

"Reina-"

"No," she said more sternly. "You can't rush in here and start telling me what to do all of a sudden. You have no right. You never did and you never will."

She brushed past her and started looking for Hani. Once she found him she thanked him for inviting her but it was time for her to go home. Reina and Shizuo said their goodbyes and left, all the while, Raiden stood in the corner, burning holes into the wall.


	6. Chapter 6 - Valentine's Day

Rated T for language

Edited: July 9, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Say something, I'm giving up on you.

I'll be the one, if you want me to.

Anywhere I would've followed you.

Say something, I'm giving up on you."

- Say Something, A Great Big World

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 – Valentine's Day with lovesick puppies<p>

"Is Valentine's Day a big deal around here?" Reina sat down with Hikaru and Kaoru. Reina's visits were becoming more frequent. Before she would sit with the newest host, Haruhi, but she found herself sitting with the twins more frequently.

"Oh yeah!" said Kaoru.

"I love Valentine's Day," Reina said dreamily.

"Really? For the romance, Rei-senpai?" Hikaru tapped her on the hand playfully.

"Oh, sure but mostly for the chocolate."

"The chocolate?" Kaoru and Hikaru sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Boxes of chocolate. Homemade chocolate. Brand name chocolate. Chocolate galore!" Reina stretched her arms out dramatically. "I love chocolate."

"You're not the only one," at Kaoru's comment the three of them turned to Hani who was literally jumping in his seat with excitement.

"Maybe not as much as Haninozuka-kun, but somewhere up there," Reina said happily.

"Do you two look forward to Valentine's Day?" Reina sounded a bit hopeful. She peeked over to her brother.

Kaoru shrugged.

Hikaru groaned slightly. "It's a drag sometimes." He leaned into his hand.

"Why do you say that?" Reina whined.

"We get a lot of chocolate and gifts on Valentine's Day. It's hard taking it all home," Hikaru explained.

Reina rolled her eyes.

The twins noticed Tamaki and Haruhi standing not that far away from Hani and decided to join them. Reina followed.

"Hani-senpai is in a pretty great mood isn't he? But doesn't he eat chocolate practically all day and night?" asked Haruhi. "What's so special about Valentine's day then?"

"Oh Haruhi, Valentine's day is the time when Hani-senpai's chocolate barometer reaches the top. Anyway, isn't receiving chocolate a great compliment for a man?" Tamaki explained.

Reina turned to Kaoru and eyed him suspiciously. He noticed and startled back a little. A playful grin was plastered on her face.

"I know it's probably a scam created by the Japanese chocolate industry," Tamaki twirled around, "but ladies can't help joining in the fun. I can hear them already! Wrapping their hopes and dreams into tiny chocolates." Tamaki struck out a peace sign, "I love any type of chocolate but I would be happier with homemade chocolates…I'd be happier with-"

"I heard you." Haruhi groaned.

Reina could sense where this was going. She was actually growing rather suspicious of the host king's interactions with the first year. She giggled at the sight.

Tamaki blushed lightly. "I was just wondering," he scratched his cheek sheepishly, "if Haruhi was going to get chocolates for her father, you know…"

"Of course I'm going to get some," Haruhi said matter-of-factly.

Tamaki's face immediately brightened.

"For my real father," Haruhi continued and Tamaki's face immediately blanched. "He expects it every year."

Tamaki rushed to a chair and sulked. Haruhi simply shrugged.

"Milord should know that Haruhi wouldn't do something like that," Hikaru said.

"Milord is more girly than she is…" added Kaoru.

Reina slapped Haruhi on the back playfully, "you are so clear cut and simple minded. I love that about you!"

"What?" Haruhi shrugged away from her.

"Awe, Haninozuka-kun looks so adorable," Reina stated.

Raiden rolled by with a tray of sweets.

Haruhi walked to Hani's table with a tray of tea. She set one down on the table. "Hani-senpai, you shouldn't eat so many sweets. You'll get a cavity." Haruhi warned.

"Oh don't worry!" Hani gripped his stuffed rabbit tighter, "I always brush my teeth! Ow!"

Everyone whipped around and look toward the third year.

"Hani-senpai? Is it-" Haruhi moved closer to his face. Hani groaned and moved away. The twins and Haruhi moved closer. "Just open your mouth! Let us see!"

"Its nothing!"

"Mori! Come quick!" Hikaru beckoned to the other third year that just arrived from kendo practice. Upon closer inspection, Mori rushed toward his cousin and pushed him onto the sofa causing all the girls, including Reina, to squeal in delight. Mori held Hani's hand down and kept his mouth open with a firm grip.

Raiden shot his sister an incredulous look.

"Holy shit," she gawked.

"This is what was missing!" Renge suddenly appeared. "Moe!" the girls squealed again. Renge found Reina's arm and both girls proceeded to jump up and down.

Mori and Tamaki examined Hani's mouth.

"Is it…" Tamaki began, "a cavity?"

"Yeah. Tamaki," Mori said in a demanding tone.

"Ah, yes. Okay." Tamaki turned to the rest of the club. "Until Hani-senpai's cavity is gone, snacks and sweets in the clubroom are not allowed. To further show our support we'll refrain from taking part in Valentine's day this year."

"Wah?!" Hani cried out. "No, no Takashi. Please don't take away my snacks. What am I going to do with out them?"

Mori picked up the plate Hani was previously eating from.

"No, Takashi!"

"No more cake. They're prohibited." Mori walked away.

"No!"

###

Day one of the sweets ban. The four first years hid around the corner of the hallway to check up on their ill-fated senpai. Mori and Hani were currently walking to class.

"Mitsukuni, your bag," said Mori.

"That's okay, I can carry it myself," Hani huffed.

"That's not it. Show it to me."

Hani handed his book bag over to Mori reluctantly. Mori turned it over and everyone in the hallway watched as bundles of candy fell to the floor.

"I was just going to look," Hani pleaded.

"Then here," Mori handed back his bag and a piece of paper. It was loaded with pictures of cakes and sweets. "You can look at this."

"Wow," Raiden whispered.

"That was pretty rough," said the twins.

"I didn't know Mori could be so harsh," said Hikaru. The first years began to walk back to their classroom.

"I didn't even know he was capable of upsetting Hani-senpai," Kaoru added.

"Are you guys upset about skipping Valentine's day?" Raiden asked.

"Not really. We usually have to get a second car to take all the candy home. It's a bother."

Raiden stared after the twins. In his fifteen years of life he'd never had to deal with any love confessions or a rush of chocolates on Valentine's Day.

As he followed closely behind them, he began to wonder if Hikaru or Kaoru ever read any gifts they received or took anything seriously. He wasn't one for gift giving, but even if he contemplated it, he was less inclined to do it now.

###

"I'm going to be late!" Haruhi jogged through the inner courtyard.

Reina's eyes immediately shot up when she heard a familiar voice. She ran after her.

"Haruhi!" she whispered harshly.

Haruhi stopped and hid behind a pillar. She waved for Reina erratically. Reina ran up quickly and hid next to her. They looked around the pillar and found Mori standing in front of, what looked to be a first year girl.

"A love confession?" Reina whispered into the younger girl's ear, who elbowed her in return.

"Ooh, how steamy." Reina hid her slight disappointment with a chuckle behind the palm of her hand.

"Come on, Morinozuka," Reina egged on. "Don't leave her hanging."

The girl ran off with tears streaming down her face.

"Wow…"

* * *

><p>Day two.<p>

"My sister isn't coming today," Raiden wheeled a cart with sandwiches between tables.

"Why's that?" Haruhi asked.

"Apparently, she has garden duty but I think it's because we're not serving any sweets." Raiden sighed.

The two first years watched as Hani approached girls, trying to get them to ask for some sweets.

"Also, she said that if Hani did that too her. She'd fall for his trick in a heartbeat."

They stopped suddenly when Hani reached out and pulled on Haruhi's sleeve. "Am I a bad person? Why is god punishing me?"

Haruhi looked both ways before taking something out of her pocket.

"Er, Haruhi…?"

"Here," she placed it in Hani's hand. It was a seaweed candy. "It looks like chocolate."

Hani's face lost all sense of excitement.

Raiden couldn't help feeling bad for Hani. The one thing he enjoyed the most was taken away from him. Seeing him so distraught upset him as well. How could Mori do something like this too him?

* * *

><p>February 13, the third day without sweets. The host club was gathered in the clubroom and watched Hani pace around irritably.<p>

"Will someone talk to him," Kaoru begged. "He's scaring the crap out of me."

"Renge should be here," Raiden suddenly said, "she'd love this side of Hani-senpai."

Hani stalked toward the candy cabinet.

"Don't worry, it's empty." Kyouya said to the group still sitting at the table.

Instead, Hani found Tamaki's teddy bear sitting in the cupboard. He picked it up and threw it to the ground harshly.

"Why does he keep doing that!?" Tamaki jumped from his seat. Just then, Hani finally plopped over.

"Hani senpai?" Tamaki poked him. Hani turned around and bit him.

"Ah! I'm going to die!" Tamaki raced around the room with Hani hanging off his arm. "Someone help me!"

Mori stood up. "Mitsukuni. Stop taking it out on others. Don't attack things or people. It's disgraceful."

"Takashi," Hani growled and let go of Tamaki's arm. Quickly, Hani grabbed the taller boy and threw him over his shoulder easily. "You idiot! A little candy isn't going to hurt! You blockhead. Baldy!" Hani huffed. "I hate you! I hate you Takashi!"

Everyone stood back in surprise. Hani raced out of the room.

"Hani-senpai!" Tamaki went after him.

"Mori-senpai?" Hikaru and Kaoru walked up to him. "Are you okay? That was harsh. Will you be okay?" Kaoru asked. Mori stood up but stumbled around uncharacteristically. He knocked over a small table and went down with it.

"Senpai, he really got to you," said Hikaru. "I don't know, but you kind of brought it on yourself."

"Hani-senpai wouldn't be so mean to you if you weren't so harsh with him in the first place," said Kaoru.

"On purpose? It was on purpose," announced Haruhi. "Have you been doing this…because you want to make Hani-senpai hate you? Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Why would he do that?" Hikaru asked.

"That doesn't make any sense. Hani-senpai hating Mori-senpai would be the end of the world to him," added Kaoru. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he thinks it's his fault."

"It was my fault," Mori finally said. "Mitsukuni has a cavity because I am careless."

Raiden stared on in disbelief. These people were getting weirder and weirder. Did Mori really do all of that just to feel punished?

"Twice, I forgot to tell him to brush his teeth before naptime."

This time the twins sweat dropped too.

"That's not your fault. He should know better."

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if he hadn't thrown me to the ground," Mori said solemnly.

"Is that why you rejected that girl before? It was another way to punish yourself?" Haruhi asked.

The doors to the host club opened. "So, Hani-senpai. What should you do?"

Hani raced back into the room. "I'm so sorry, Takashi!" he knelt down next to his cousin, tears streaming down his face again. "I'll always remember to brush my teeth!"

Raiden's eyes scrunched up in confusion. He wasn't sure if he agreed with Hani and Mori's strange actions, but he had to admit that they cared about each other. Although, Mori went a little extreme. He could only hope his sister would never do something like that.

* * *

><p>February 14.<p>

"So it was a happy ending after all," Reina commented lightly. She played with the rose in her hand. Her brother had handed it to her earlier.

Reina and Haruhi stood back from the crowd. Hani pushed past them, tugging a girl's hand behind them. He pushed her in front of his cousin and then ran off. It was the girl from before.

Silently, Mori offered her a rose and she took it happily. The first year scampered away. Mori reached out for another rose from one of the bouquets floating around. He stopped in front of Reina, bowed, and handed it to her.

She blushed. "Thank you."

He bowed again and left to cater to the other customers.

Reina gazed around the room again and saw her brother sulking. He carried around a bouquet of roses and walked around until a host called for him. She noticed he was getting more and more solemn. She knew her brother joined the host club for a specific reason…or person.

He wasn't the type of person who confessed his feelings outright or was obvious with them like Tamaki seemed to be. He was quiet and watched from afar. She knew she had to do something about it. She didn't want her brother to cry over a broken heart.

She's been spending a lot of her time at the host club and still hasn't been able to pinpoint how to make her plans work out.

Tamaki suddenly passed before her dancing around with roses in his hand.

"Suoh-kun!"

He stopped suddenly.

"I need love advice."

"Really? For you?" he stared at her happily.

_Maybe this wasn't a good idea_, "No. For someone else. I want to try and set them up."

"Oh! Well, I'll try my best. Let me know when you want to go over battle plans," he winked and began to dance away.

She could not help but giggle at his antics. Reina's phone began to ring, causing some girls to glare at her. "Sorry." She flipped her phone out. It was a text message from Shizuo. _Meet me at your house asap. We need to talk._

###

"Why are we following them around?" Hikaru asked. The host club hid behind a bush. They were watching Raiden's house. Shizuo was waiting outside on the sidewalk. His hands were in his pockets and he was moving forward and backward on the balls of his feet.

Just then, Reina exited her house. She hopped over to where her boyfriend was waiting for her. She looked more concerned than excited.

"Ooh, look at her dress, Kaoru." Hikaru examined her dress.

"I see it Hikaru." Kaoru's eyes roved over her dress as well.

"Mother," they both whispered.

Shizuo and Reina seemed to be talking rapidly. She held a clutch in one hand and used that hand to hang onto his shoulder, while she fixed the strap on one of her heels.

"Your sister is really tall…" Haruhi mentioned.

"Yeah she's 5'7''. On good days she's taller than me, but that dress is a little too tight? Don't you think? I don't like seeing my sister going out in something like that."

"Come on, Raiden. Your sister looks hot. Let her dress how she wants to dress," Hikaru looked back through the binoculars they brought along. "She's right about the makeup. Damn."

Shizuo took her hand and led her to a car not to far away. Once inside the host club ran to their own car, "to the batmobile!" Tamaki announced.

###

The followed the young couple until they stopped at a park. There seemed to be other couples walking around too, on dates probably.

Shizuo helped Reina out of the car and led her into the park. The hosts followed close behind.

Once they were further in they stopped next to a large cherry blossom tree. Shizuo took Reina's hand into his own. The host club eased as closely as they could so they could listen in.

"Reina, I have something very important to tell you," they could hear him say.

She stared at him in alarm but nodded to let him know to continue. Suddenly, a motorcycle revved up behind them and they did not hear what he said next, but her face seemed to say it all.

Her features shifted from dread to happiness and then sadness. She shifted her body away from him and covered her mouth.

He took her hands away from her face. She seemed to be gasping for air. She stood up straighter and took a few steps back before hugging herself. He followed and wrapped his arms around her.

From their position they could see she was crying. He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a hard kiss and she happily returned it. She buried her face in his shoulder. The snow drifted down around them.

"I'll always love you," Shizuo said. "You were always this too me." He moved his hand to catch some snowflakes. "Like fresh snow. Always ready to create some magic. Always ready to start over, start clean. You were that for me, Reina. Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought. If you find any typos, etc. Please let me know.

Edit: July 9, 2014: I'm going through and editing all my previous chapters. If you go back and reread this story and find something amiss...that's probably why. I'm hoping everything will flow a little better now. Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7 - Host Club Lovesick Woes

Rated T for Language

Edit: July 10, 2014. Living Different Lives is going through an editing process. I'm also posting new chapters every week. Chapter 7 has undergone extensive editing, just FYI.

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

But don't you remember?

Don't you remember?

The reason you loved me before,

Baby, please remember me once more

- Don't You Remember by Adele

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 – Lovesick Woes<p>

Springtime - the definition of new beginnings, clean starts, and a new school term.

But, time was flying by swiftly. The spring term was coming close to an end and summer break was nearing.

"Rei-chan hasn't come to visit in awhile. Almost two months. Why is that?" Hani asked Raiden as he walked past with a tray of cakes.

"Oh, she hasn't been feeling well." Raiden placed a plate of cake down on the table.

Mori and Hani looked up at him with concern. "Really what's happened?" chimed Hani.

"Oh, uh…"

"Raiden," Mori said this time, sternly.

"I-she's been upset," Raiden sighed. "Uh, well remember that day we followed her and her boyfriend. Well…it turns out they really were breaking up," Raiden sighed, "they finally broke up a few weeks ago," he confessed. "She's even missed a few days of school."

"What? That's terrible. Takashi, what do we do?"

"What no! Senpai, please don't. She will kill me if you guys do anything. I mean she doesn't even know we followed her that day. She didn't want to say anything to begin with but I found out the other day. She was yelling and throwing stuff in her room."

"No!" Tamaki grabbed Raiden by the shoulders. "This cannot be. We cannot let one of our own suffer under the plights of love. Today, we will restore her spirits."

# # #

"I thought she said she broke up with her boyfriend," Hikaru whispered.

The host club entered the Japanese style room the Moriyama's had in their home. Reina was sitting outside on the deck curled up in the arms of a blonde haired man.

"What are you talking about? That's my brother," Raiden set a tray of tea down on the table.

"What?!" They all yelled.

"You have a brother?" inquired Haruhi.

"Yes. That's my older brother."

"How is it that you've never told us you had a brother?" Kaoru asked.

Raiden shrugged. "It's never come up."

The hugging siblings stopped upon noticing they had company. The boy stood up and walked into the room. Reina stayed back and curled up into a ball.

"Good afternoon," his voice was silky and soft.

"Guys this is my brother Akihiko," Raiden introduced. "Akihiko these are my friends from school." He introduced them quickly.

Akihiko didn't hide the surprise when he heard some names. The host club looked at him with awe. He was just as, maybe even more, handsome than Raiden. Raiden's good looks weren't a secret per se, but he tended to tone down his looks while he was at school by hiding his face behind large rimmed glasses and shaggy hair.

His dark gray eyes rested underneath perfectly arched eyebrows. His cheekbones and jaw seemed to have been chiseled out of stone. His blonde hair made him look even more striking.

"Welcome to our home, but I'm not so sure it was a good idea for you to come…" Akihiko gave Raiden a pointed look.

"We just wanted to make Reina feel better," said Hani.

Suddenly a hard knock was heard from the front door. Reina stood up and ran for the door. They could hear quiet murmurs and then the door slamming.

Akihiko rushed to the door, followed by the hosts, but they found no one in the entryway. Akihiko opened the door and ran out. He stopped at the gate and looked around the corner. Everyone followed him.

"Its him!" Raiden whispered harshly. Akihiko waved him away.

Reina and Shizuo were standing down by the corner. She was pressed into his body, and her arms were wrapped around his torso like a lost child, "Shizuo."

Shizuo sighed quietly pulling her closer to him. His voice strained, "why are you doing this?"

She tilted her head upward. Her eyes had a heavy lidded look, "I missed you. I just wanted to see you before you left."

He sighed again. He took a firm hold of her chin and brought her lips to his.

"Reina!" Raiden couldn't hold himself back. He leapt away from the gate and started running toward them. Akihiko reached out an arm to try and stop him, but missed.

She ignored her brother's yell and deepened the kiss, much to Shizuo's chagrin. His hand moved down to the nape of her neck. Her hands moved upwards to grip his shirt tightly, pulling him closer to her.

"Reina!" Raiden's voice was getting closer. They could hear his feet pounding on the ground as he ran toward them. Reina held on tighter.

Once he reached them, Raiden gripped her arm tightly. He pulled her away from the man so forcefully she tripped over her brother's feet and fell to the ground. Akihiko and the boys were right behind him. Mori knelt down to help her up.

Raiden looked down at his sister, surprised with his own actions, but he quickly looked back at the man who was previously sucking her face off. He shoved him away "Who do you think you are?"

"Raiden," her voice wavered. Mori held her against his chest. "Stop. You don't know what you're doing." She saw the host club forming a circle around her brother.

"Stay away from her."

"Wait, now." Shizuo looked down at the boy. He was much more taller than Raiden's five feet and seven inches. Shizuo was nearing six foot two and had unruly hair that made him look even taller. "I don't think you understand what's going on."

"Stay away from my sister," Raiden almost growled.

"Raiden, stop. Please. You…you don't know what you're doing. I'll explain. Please just go back to the house."

He turned around to face her. Anger seeped out of every pore. "Never mind! Do whatever you want." He pushed past his siblings and the host club and stomped into the house. Mori finally let Reina stand on her own.

"I'm sorry," Reina said.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for." Shizuo straightened his arms. "I'm sorry." He picked up the suitcase and violin case that were by his feet.

"Have a safe flight," her voice was small, almost a whisper

He nodded. He leaned forward as if he was going in for another kiss, but stopped and decided not to. He straightened himself up and began to walk away from the small group.

"Wait," Reina choked. Shizuo froze.

"Reina," Akihiko whispered quickly.

She took one small step. Shizuo turned around. The boys could see his cheeks were wet with tears. Reina hiccupped and ran after him. He dropped his suitcase and violin and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She buried her face in his chest.

Akihiko took the host's attention away from the young lovers, "You guys want to stay for dinner?"

# # #

The host club found themselves sitting in the living room with a plate of okonomiyaki lying in the middle of the low table.

"Help yourselves," Akihiko sat down next to Kyouya. Raiden was sitting on the couch sulking. Reina was upstairs, presumably locked up in her room, crying.

The silence was thick.

"So you're the older brother," Kaoru swung a fork around.

"Yes. Yes I am." Akihiko scratched his head lightly.

"Do you go to university?" Haruhi asked.

"Yes. I'm studying medicine and I'm sorry if I'm being too forward but…are you a girl?" Haruhi was still dressed in her school uniform.

The boys immediately stiffened.

"Yes. You caught on quickly. It took Reina-senpai weeks to figure it out and only because Tamaki spilled the beans."

Akihiko laughed. "Yeah, she doesn't see the obvious sometimes. Neither of my siblings can actually."

"Hey!" Raiden shouted back.

"So, you're the host club," Akihiko changed the subject, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" asked the twins.

"Oh yeah!" Akihiko looked on playfully. "My sister claims you're the most handsome bunch of guys she's ever seen and that's saying something considering what she does for work." He took a big bite out of his food.

"What does that mean?" Hikaru and Kaoru inched forward. Raiden eyed his brother.

"Well, she's a model."

"I knew it!" the twins yelled at the same time. "Official confirmation!" they gave each other high fives. "What are we going to do about it?" Kaoru whispered to his brother.

"What?!"

"Come on, Raiden. Are you really that clueless?" Akihiko shook his head.

"Why is she working as a model? For who?" Raiden inched closer to his brother.

"For the money, duh." Akihiko took another bite. "She's been working for Hitachiin for almost a year."

"Why does she need the money?" Kyouya asked this time.

"Well, unlike you, my well intentioned friends, we don't have our bank accounts linked to our family funds. My father uses the money he earns to pay his bills and Raiden's tuition. Reina pays her tuition. I have a job to pay my tuition. That's how life works."

"She has to pay for tuition?" asked Haruhi.

"Yeah. St. Lobelia isn't as expensive as Ouran but she has to pay all of it plus boarding and transportation costs. It's pretty far."

"I was wondering," Hani cut in. "Why does Rei-chan go to St. Lobelia?"

"She was expelled from Ouran," Akihiko disclosed nonchalantly, sticking another forkful of food in his mouth. "It was a pretty big deal back in the day, but we're past it now."

"What?!" This time everyone yelled.

"Aki, are you serious?" Raiden knelt down next to his brother. "Why didn't I know this?"

"You did, you just never paid attention to it. You stopped paying attention to a lot of things after you started middle school," Akihiko shrugged his shoulders.

"Why was she expelled?" asked Mori.

Akihiko eyed Tamaki curiously. "I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say. The chairman's son is sitting right here."

The club turned to face Tamaki. A scared expression etched on his face.

"Well, it's in the past, I'm sure it's okay," Akihiko chuckled, "I was just teasing you. Anyway, she was defending my honor." Akihiko sounded proud.

"Why?" Mori asked again.

"There's not much honor in a bastard child, but there is a little and Reina was determined to protect it," Akihiko said eloquently.

"A bastard child?" Haruhi inquired.

Akihiko pointed to himself. "Yes, some of her classmates, upon discovering my identity, insulted my family. My baby sister in turn, pulled out their hair, threw their book bags out a window and trashed a classroom."

They all stared at the oldest Moriyama child wide-eyed. "I think I remember that," Hani noted, "it was right after our third year graduation ceremony."

"She was having a few troubles in school anyway. That may have been the tipping point though."

"Aki," a quiet groan interrupted their thoughts. Reina was standing in the doorway, clutching a stuffed dog. She looked disheveled. She had changed into an oversized sweater and maroon leggings.

"Reina," Hani said quietly.

"Hey, sunshine. You hungry?" Akihiko stood up. She nodded. Akihiko motioned for her to sit in his spot. After a few moments hesitation she dropped down in his old seat. Kyouya moved over slightly to giver her some more room. He eyed her wild hair and stuffed dog she was carrying.

"That's a cute dog," Hani mused.

"Thank you," she gripped it tighter. "I didn't think of it at first but I just remembered Shizuo gave it to me on our first date."

"How long were you two together?" Tamaki asked, his face sad.

"Three years. Almost four."

"That long?" Raiden slammed his hand on the table. "Why didn't I know?"

"You didn't want to know, Raiden," Reina snapped, "every time I brought it up you'd always complain and say you hate the idea of me having a boyfriend. You've always said it."

"I-" Raiden began but stopped. Akihiko suddenly appeared with another plate to serve her some food. He placed the plate down on the table and then leaned against the wall.

"If it's okay to ask," Haruhi interrupted, "why did you guys break up?"

"Haruhi," Tamaki warned. "Don't ask that, that's rude."

"No, it's okay Suoh-kun." Reina took a bite. "Well, Shizuo is a musician," she began.

The news took everyone by surprise.

"He did have a violin case," Hani announced softly.

"He was offered a scholarship to study at a music school in America," Reina continued, "We talked about it and I told him he should accept it. It's a once in a lifetime experience."

She played with one of the ears on her toy dog.

"It's really a one-way ticket. He'll be in America now and I'll be here in Japan. He doesn't have any family here. There really wasn't any other option. He thought it was best anyway." She took a long breath. "I mean it's what he's been working for his whole life. I couldn't ask him to stay. I thought it best." She said more determined.

"Why?" Raiden asked.

"Well," she gazed at the table, contemplating, "grandfather will probably want to marry me off to someone so might as well cut the cord now…and I'm positive grandfather said something to him. Shizuo seemed so distant a few weeks before he gave me the big news. It was only a matter of time..." she poked her food with her fork.

"What does your family do anyway?" Kaoru leaned on his elbow.

"The Moriyama family holds the largest shares for the Bank of Japan," Kyouya answered. Reina and Akihiko eyed him warily. "Their family was part of the original governors of the bank."

Reina and Akihiko nodded, satisfied with Kyouya's explanation.

"Their grandfather founded their pet project, Yama Group, it's an investment company which specializes in contracting and building. Their grandmother's family own a successful chain of resort & spa ryokan," Kyouya added.

Reina's face began to flush. "Thank you encyclopedia Kyouya," she muttered.

Kyouya nodded approvingly. Reina smirked and rolled her eyes.

The hosts gaped.

"You're welcome," Kyouya replied, ignoring her sarcasm.

"I didn't know your family was so successful," Haruhi baffled.

"Yeah, we don't really talk about it," Reina mumbled. "It's not for us to brag about."

"Then why do you live in this house?" Hikaru blurted.

Haruhi shot him a silencing glare.

"It's been in our family for generations. My uncle lives in a much larger and classier house though. Does that make you feel better?" Reina replied snootily.

Hikaru stuck his tongue out.

"Well," Akihiko suddenly announced. "I'm off to work. Reina take care of the house."

"Okay," she droned.

Akihiko bowed respectfully, "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I look forward to our next meeting." He spun around on his heel and walked down the hallway and out of sight.

Silence soon enveloped.

"Lets watch a movie," Kaoru offered.

"Sure," Raiden sprung at the idea.

"I'm going upstairs," Reina stood from her spot.

"What, why?" Hani asked sitting up from his seat as well.

"I'm going to go play some Uki Doki Memorial." Reina began to walk toward the stairs.

"Don't play that game!" Raiden yelled after her.

"I need to feel loved right now and Toshiro is the only one who can give that to me right now!" Reina screamed back.

A long sigh passed around the host club.

"We never should've introduced her to Renge," Hikaru commented.

* * *

><p>Reina sat down in a soft arm chair next to a large window. The host club was open for business.<p>

She sighed. She had spent so much time wallowing in her sadness over Shizuo that she forgot what she was doing with the host club.

"Renge-kun?" Reina asked, getting the first year's attention.

"Yes?" Renge spun around, her dress spinning in the air.

"What would you do to get someone's attention?" Reina asked straight out.

Renge's expression brightened immediately. She took a seat in the armchair next to her and leaned forward. "What do you mean? Is there someone at this school you have your eye on? The host club! Is it someone in the host club?"

Reina blushed, her face flushed, giving off a fresh wave of heat. "No!" she stammered. "It's for someone else."

Renge grinned. "_Right_. It's for _someone else_. That's what they all say." She rolled her eyes.

"Renge-kun," Reina groaned.

"When I need advice about boys," Renge held a finger up, "I always think back to Uki Doki Memorial."

"Really?"

Renge nodded, her light brown curls bouncing with each nod. "Miyabi is the sweetest. I just think back to what he's done to make me happy. I want to find a boy who would do that in real life."

"So…? What would you do to get someone's specific attention?" Reina asked again.

"I'd talk to him. Try to get to know him. Hang out outside of school." Renge shrugged. "That kind of stuff."

Reina nodded in understanding. She glanced around the room, eyeing each individual host.

Renge grinned. "It is someone in the host club!"

"No!"

Renge began to squeal. "I should totally make a doujinshi for you."

Reina gawked. "Oh please no. Wait," She paused, contemplating the actual thought of having her own doujinshi series. She shook her head vigorously. "Don't!"

"Senpai?" Tamaki appeared before them. "Is everything alright?" Tamaki was acting extra delicate, considering Reina's recent developments.

Renge lifted herself from her seat and flitted away. "I can't wait to start making them!" she sing-songed.

Reina was about to protest, but decided to just drop it. She hoped maybe Renge would just forget about her idea over the summer break.

"Suoh-kun?"

"Yes?" Tamaki grinned.

"What kind of things do you boys like to do?" Reina tried to make her question as broad as possible.

Tamaki placed a finger to his chin, "Well…"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading!

Note: Miyabi is the only character from Uki Doki Memorial that is named. Toshiro is a made up name, but it's supposed to be Mori's look alike in the game.


	8. Chapter 8 - Karuizawa & Love Confessions

Rated T for Language

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Nobody here knocking at my door

The sound of silence I can't take anymore

Nobody ringing my telephone now

Oh how I miss such a beautiful sound"

- This Is What It Feels Like by Armin Van Buuren

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 – Karuizawa and Love Confessions<p>

"That was so exciting!" Reina sat down at a small round table. Haruhi placed a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade in front of her. "I've never ridden in a helicopter before."

"No. That was terrifying and annoying," Haruhi groaned.

"So we arrived in a helicopter. They were _worried_ about you." Reina waved her hand around playfully. "Let them enjoy their whims.

"Reina-senpai, I'm surprised too see you here though."

"Oh, well I thought I deserved a vacation and since the host club is technically paying for everything, I thought, what the hell I might as well," Reina grinned excitedly and took a long sip of her lemonade, but eyed the twins and her brother over her glass.

Haruhi sweat dropped.

"Is this why you declined our invitation to go to Bali?" Hikaru asked. "You were going to be working here at the pension."

"Yeah, and my invitation to Switzerland?" asked Hani. "You declined my invitation to, Rei-chan."

Reina laughed it off, "Oh you know I couldn't have done that…"

"You guys invited Haruhi to stay with you…?" Tamaki grimaced. "How could you!? I was trying to create a plan for everyone!"

"Haruhi, you turned your phone off too," said the twins.

"Do you have the twins phone number?" Reina whispered to her brother. He nodded, but gave his sister a quizzical look. Why was she asking something like that?

"She has a cellphone?!" yelled Tamaki.

"Yeah, we let her borrow one of ours. And it's a friends only model so you're not listed," Kaoru teased.

Haruhi groaned. She started to push the boys out the door. "Okay, go home now! Once school starts again we'll be seeing each other a lot more. Just leave and let me work!"

"School rule number 19: getting a job is not allowed." A school rulebook magically appeared in Kyouya's hands.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at Haruhi with playful glares. "You hear that? She got a job without telling the school. How bold."

Hani and Mori stood back, not really paying attention to the pseudo drama. Mori held a tour book in his hands. "It's not a bad idea to relax in Karuizawa every now and then," Hani offered.

"Overseas trips are getting tiring anyway," said Kyouya.

Reina and Raiden rolled their eyes and then giggled once they realized they did the same thing.

"_Overseas trips are tiring anyway_," Reina mocked.

Raiden chuckled.

Reina dropped her grin once she found Kyouya glaring at her.

###

And thus began the host club's vacation time at Karuizawa.

"So, everyone's trying to get the extra room?" Reina was perusing over a Karuizawa tour book while most of the hosts were doing chores around the pension.

Raiden was sitting down next to his sister. They joined Kyouya outside while the others whisked around doing random chores.

"Yeah, something about being refreshing. I don't really get it."

"Why aren't you taking part?" Reina asked

"Because it's stupid," Raiden slouched in his chair, his eyes searched around the garden.

"Where are we going to stay then?" Reina obviously didn't plan accordingly. She just came for the fun.

"You two are welcome to stay with me at Hani-senpai's vacation home. I assume that's where we'll all be staying since it's so close," Kyouya said to the siblings.

"Thank you, Ootori-kun…er, I'll let Haninozuka-kun, know." She gave him a strained smile. She was not entirely sure it was his place to offer them to stay when it isn't even his house.

"Why are you always so polite?" Raiden sounded miffed. "I'm sure you can just call him Hani or even use his first name. He'll be fine with it. Same goes with the others."

She glared. "I hardly know him and don't tell me what to do!" she pinched his arm. He jumped away, holding his arm closer to his chest.

She inched closer to his face. Reina wrapped her arm around her brother's playfully. "Raiden," she whispered. "Since we're here you should try hanging out with your friends...one on one."

"What are you talking about?" He whispered back, pulling his arm away.

"You know…" she poked him.

"I don't," he muttered.

"You're not taking part in the refreshing competition, good for you Kyouya-senpai, Raiden." Haruhi walked over to the little group.

"There isn't a point if I'm just going to be staying here all alone," Kyouya explained, "Anyway, I wanted to watch."

"They're so desperate to be refreshing they're doing everything wrong," Haruhi and the rest watched the boys botch their chores.

"Who do you think will win, Haruhi?" Kyouya asked.

"I don't know."

"Based on looks, Hani is out. Tamaki might have a chance if he would just shut up for a second. The twins are the likely winners, but…"

A large chopping noise interrupted them. They turned to find Mori chopping firewood shirtless.

"Holy shit!"

"Reina!" her brother punched her arm.

Reina blushed furiously. "He's not wearing a shirt!" she gasped.

"A dark horse has appeared," Kyouya announced, eyeing Reina from the corner of his eye.

"So Mori is going to win?" asked Haruhi.

"No, if Hani drops out, Mori probably will too. Leaving the twins to win. See?"

Reina continued to squeal, ignoring her brother's pleas.

###

"Raiden are you okay with staying at Haninozuka-kun's home? I asked him and he said it was okay."

Her brother nodded.

They listened quietly to Tamaki playing on his piano. "It looks like Kyouya gave him some advice that actually worked."

A little while ago, Tamaki's dog Antoinette lost him some leverage in the competition because she couldn't stop herself from smothering him with dog kisses. It was endearing until the point where Tamaki was calling for help.

"Kaoru! Haruhi!"

Raiden and Reina stood up immediately and ran around the house. The others were gathered too. Hikaru ran up to Haruhi and his brother who was shielding her. The window above them had come loose and the windowpane had shattered on the ground beside them.

"Kaoru!"

"Wow, that was close. Are you okay, Haruhi?"

"Yeah, but what about you Kaoru? Are you hurt?"

Hikaru looked shaken.

"It's only a little cut," Kaoru said.

"Don't scare me like that," Hikaru mumbled.

Reina instinctively looked over to her brother. His eyes were shiny with apprehension.

"Beautiful!" Misuzu yelled. "One hundred refreshing points!"

###

"Suoh-kun, if you keep calling them. They're going to think you're a stalker," Reina warned, before taking a sip from her glass of fresh lemonade.

The rest of the host club gathered inside Hani's summer home.

"I don't want them to cause trouble for my precious daughter!"

"Daughter? Right…" she looked around for her brother. She found him sitting in a chair next to the window, looking longingly outside. She walked over and knelt down by his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"No."

She sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looked at her with an annoyed look. "What is there to talk about? You don't even know why I'm upset!"

She shook slightly from his words. "Raiden. I _do_ know why you're upset. Lets talk about it. Please."

"No!" he stood up from his seat and started to walk to his room.

"Fine!" she screamed after him. He stiffened. "Be that way. You always do this! You _always_ run away. Raiden, stop!"

He turned his head slightly as if he was going to say something but turned back around and ran to his room.

"Rei-chan?" Hani asked quietly.

She sighed and slouched down in a chair, "why does he have to be so damn moody?"

###

Tamaki knocked softly on the door. He hoped she wasn't asleep yet.

The door opened slowly. Her hair looked frazzled. She was wearing her night clothes. Her over sized shirt overwhelmed her tall frame.

"Suoh-kun?"

"Reina-senpai. Can we talk?"

"Sure," she opened the door wider and let him in. They sat down on the edge of her bed. "What can I do for you?"

"You and Raiden…?"

"We're always fighting," she interrupted. "I don't know why. Maybe he's reached that rebellious age," she chided.

"Remember when you asked me for love advice? For someone else?"

She fingered her short hair. "Yeah?"

"It's for Raiden, isn't?"

She tugged on a strand. "Yeah."

"What type of advice did you need? You know, I am the princely type. I'm sure I can help you in any way possible."

"It might be too late for that, Suoh-kun. Raiden…well. I think he's given up now."

"You can never give up on love!"

Reina couldn't help but giggle. "Well, that's my motto."

"You and Raiden are an odd pair. Raiden…why did Raiden join the host club?" Tamaki leaned back on his hands. "At first I thought it was because of the girls, obviously, but now I'm not so sure."

"He was trying to impress somebody, for sure." Reina rested her eyes on the prince of the host club. He was definitely handsome. All of the hosts are. Even though, they seemed trustworthy, she wasn't sure she should tell him the truth.

"We're a family," Tamaki added. "I don't want anything too happen to anyone in my family. If anything happens or if there's going to be a rift somewhere I want to fix it before it gets out of hand." He sounded much more serious than she was used to.

There it was again. _Maybe I should tell him_, she contemplated. It may be his princely type character or perhaps his real character, but Tamaki had a way of drawing people in. He made you want to trust him.

"I'm not sure I should say anything," she confessed.

"He didn't join to become a better gentlemen did he? He joined because of someone. Someone in the club," Tamaki furthered.

She nodded her head slowly.

"Ka-" he stopped, "Kaoru?"

"You know, for being an idiot, you catch on fairly quickly."

He scoffed and scratched at his cheek. "I, well, I took a guess and…Kyouya is the one who told me."

"Ootori-kun?"

Tamaki looked amused. "Your brother is right. You're way too formal with us."

"What? Don't change the subject!" she nudged him in the shoulder.

"I give you permission to use my first name. I also give you permission to use Kyouya's first name," he smiled.

"Tamaki-kun?"

Tamaki suddenly squealed loudly. "It sounds so cute when you say it!"

"I can see why you're a host…"

"Anyway, he has a crush on Kaoru."

"Yes, for a long while it seems." Reina poked her cheek with her tongue. "He doesn't really tell me things so I have to be extra vigilant, but I noticed. They way he looks at him. All dreamy and such and I," she paushed, "I know what love looks like," she looked afar dreamily as well. "I don't think Kaoru ever noticed. He never will. His brother comes first. I think Raiden finally realized that today."

Tamaki nodded. "When it comes to love, it seems, _they_ are each other's firsts," Tamaki referred to the twins.

"Poor Raiden. He hasn't had much experience in the love department," she eyed Tamaki, "none of you have really…"

He moved away from her cautiously.

"Tsk, tsk…" she grinned a grin even the twins would have a run for their money.

They remained silent for a few moments.

"Thank you for coming to talk to me, Tamaki-kun."

He nodded.

"You're a really good person."

He blushed and scratched the back of his head, "I, no. I just do what I think is right."

She smiled. "Don't ever change. And I wish you the best of luck."

"For what?"

"In your love confession of course."

"What?!"

She giggled. She stood up and bowed politely. "Thank you for taking such good care of my brother. Please keep treating him kindly." She patted him on the shoulder, "and don't tell anyone especially Raiden about this. I want him to come to his own realizations. In time. Anyway, I'm not going to give up."

"What?"

"Goodnight!"

###

The next morning brought on a new clear day for everyone.

"So he's an old classmate from middle school?" Reina squeezed in between Kaoru and Mori. They sat at a table a few feet away from where Haruhi and her old classmate were sitting.

"Yeah," answered Mori.

"He's a cutie!"

Kaoru and Hikaru glared at her.

"Where's Raiden?" Hani asked over the table.

"Oh he's over there," she pointed to Tamaki and Raiden on the floor, "he's trying to salvage the guide Tamaki made. We want to try some food that's famous around here." She took a long sip from her orange juice.

Hikaru scoffed. The brothers started chastising the newcomer.

"Are you guys trying to start a fight?" Kyouya asked.

"He's clearly attracted to her. It's obvious it's so annoying."

"Hikaru!" Haruhi slammed her hands on the table.

Reina's eyebrows rose. She was clearly intrigued by the new drama happening.

"Its okay Haruhi," Arai, Haruhi's friend, tried to appease her. "He's right. I was attracted to you before but you rejected me a year ago."

"What?!"

As he retold the story, Reina watched on with amusement. Haruhi clearly didn't know what he was talking about.

"Haruhi," they all groaned.

"Your complete and utter sensitivity broke that poor boy's heart," said Kyoya, "I hope it wasn't on purpose."

"Of course not," she turned to Arai and bowed, "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay! I've gotten over it. The fact that you didn't understand what I meant only means that you weren't interested. It's fine."

"How noble," Reina said dramatically. She nudged her brother in the ribs.

"Ow."

"He's cute," she pointed to Arai, "get his number."

"What for? _You_?"

"No, idiot. For you."

"No." She pulled on his sleeve. They went back and forth repeatedly, their actions going unnoticed by the rest of the gang.

Everyone gathered around Arai to listen to his stories.

"You went to Kyoto for your middle school trip? Isn't that boring?" Hani took another bite of cake.

"No, not at all. It's quite normal for us," explained Arai.

"Oh I love Kyoto! Don't I Kyouya?" Tamaki grinned.

"Yes, you dragged me all the way over there and made us tour every single temple," Kyoya said with a slight groan.

"Kyoto?" Reina butted in. "I love Kyoto! We should all go sometime _and,_" she paused, "I'll even host. My family has a home down there. It's quite lovely really. What do you think, Kyouya-kun?"

Kyoya, Mori, Hani, and Raiden all turned to look at her at the same time. They were surprised to hear her address Kyouya by his first name.

"That seems like a marvelous idea, I'll see what I can do for the dates," Kyouya was able to speak out.

"Great," Reina smiled away, oblivious to their stares.

Tamaki waved at the twins who were sulking a table away. "Hikaru, Kaoru! Come join us. Don't you want to hear the stories about when Haruhi was in middle school?"

"No thanks! It's stupid. Why are you guys so interested in those dumb stories anyway? Besides, can't that boy tell that we don't even care about _him_? Haruhi has no time from for him in her life."

A loud clap rang out in the room. Haruhi had slapped Hikaru in the face. "Who are you to decide who's important or not. I won't let you insult him any further!"

"Who cares about all these other people!? We're the ones who are you friends!" Hikaru screamed before running up the stairs to his room.

"Wait, Hikaru!"

The host club was silent.

###

"This vacation seems to be going by too quickly," Reina commented, "I've been here three days and I've barely gone sightseeing," she was about to take step, but Kaoru pulled her back behind a building.

Kaoru quickly explained the situation in hushed tones.

"So you're going on a date with Haruhi?" Reina looked at Kaoru expectantly, "but you faked an illness so now, Hikaru has to go on the date."

He nodded slowly, inching for her to continue.

"So he can learn a little more…patience? Compassion? And we're going to follow them around…like stalkers."

He shrugged, "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Cool, I can do that." She took out the guide of Karuizawa that Tamaki made the other day. It looked like it survived a war zone with duct tape keeping it together.

"Raiden," Reina tried to get her brother's attention. She punched his shoulder, "Raiden!"

"Ow, what?" he looked away from the person who was previously occupying his thoughts.

"I want to try this!" she pointed at a dish.

"Alright, let's go."

"Aren't you guys going to stay?" Hani asked.

Reina turned to look at the boys who were all dressed up in supposed disguises.

"Um, I don't know. I don't really want to follow the kids around, but you guys-"

"No," Raiden pushed his face into his sister's, "you're coming with us."

"Raiden, I wonder about you sometimes." He had been okay with going to eat something only five seconds before. What could have changed – oh right, "fine."

They began followed the teens around as best they could.

"She looks awfully cute. If I was a boy I'd want to date her," Reina admitted.

"She does look cute. That's why we're following them, its not fair that Hikaru is the only who gets to be with her today.

Hani passed by them with a cart of ice cream, trying to diffuse the tension. Mori grabbed him quickly. Hikaru stared after him confused. When he turned back around Haruhi was gone.

"One ice cream please," she said to the real ice cream vendor.

"I want ice cream," Reina pulled on her brother's sleeve.

"Oh my god, I should've just let you go."

"I _told_ you."

He walked around back and asked for an ice cream, making sure he wasn't seen.

"Thank you," she whispered when he returned. They all ended up taking a break and eating ice cream, the others too exhausted by interrupting and hiding their true identities.

"They're so cute together!"

"Rei-senpai! You're not supposed to say that!"

Reina moved around so that Raiden was sitting next to Kaoru. She settled down between Mori and Kyouya. "Beautiful day, right?"

She didn't wait for them to answer. She just sat back and tried to listen in to her brother's conversation.

"What do you usually do during summer vacation?" Raiden asked softly.

Kaoru shrugged. "We usually go abroad or travel. I wanted to go to Fiji this year, but Hikaru didn't want to go."

Raiden nodded in understanding. "That sounds exciting."

The two first years remained silent, eating their ice cream.

Reina immediately groaned and rolled her eyes.

Mori and Kyouya both gave her confused glances.

###

"Wow, it's really pouring…" Raiden looked out the window. Puddles of rainwater were gathering around the pension. "It's a good thing we came back while we did."

"I don't think I like the weather here," Reina was eating a pickled yam by hand.

Raiden's irritation began to grow, "How are you always eating?"

"Why do you say that? I've got to eat. I'm growing."

"You're five foot seven, you're not going to grow anymore."

She stuck her tongue out. "You don't know that."

"How could you leave her out there!" Tamaki yelled into a phone. "Go find her! Before you throw a fit like a spoiled child why don't you think about others?! She's afraid of thunder!"

"Tamaki-kun…?" Reina and Raiden stared at the boys, clearly confused.

Kaoru immediately went into action calling up someone on his phone.

"She'll be okay, right?" she looked over to her brother, who was looking over at Kaoru.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Hikaru is going after her."

"I totally ship it."

"Senpai!"

###

In the end, everything was fine. Once the rain ended its downpour they all jumped into a car and searched for the duo. They found them in a church wrapped around a blanket.

"Oh I definitely ship it!"

"Senpai!"

Later, Arai arrived with a summer watermelon. Everyone gathered around it. Hani held the bat. "I'm in charge of the punching!" he said happily.

Raiden stood back with Kaoru and Kyouya. He could see his sister next to Mori, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Kaoru, I know you meant for Hikaru to learn compassion on that date, but aren't you worried about him actually falling in love?" Kyouya asked.

Raiden turned to look at Kaoru from the corner of his eye. His stomach felt light and filled with anxiety, as it always did when he was near Kaoru.

"Oh, that won't happen yet. Hikaru is still an idiot," answered Kaoru.

"Well, we do have quite the group of idiots…"

Raiden eyed Kyouya suspiciously. He noticed Kyouya's gaze landing on his sister. Raiden unconsciously narrowed his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9 - Mori, Nekozawa, and Spice

Rated T for Language

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"I've got thick skin and an elastic heart."

- Elastic Heart by Sia

* * *

><p>Chapter 9 – Truth About Mori, Nekozawa, &amp; Fun<p>

"I am extending the invitation to stay at our home in Kyoto. I'm serious."

Reina aimed her statement too Kyouya. The fall term began a week ago and Reina was visiting the host club once again.

"I'll take your invitation into consideration. Do you think October would work for you?" he asked.

"Yes! That's a perfect time. I love fall."

"Rei-senpai…" Hikaru and Kaoru cooed. They draped their arms over her shoulders.

"Yeah…?"

Kyouya noticed her apprehension.

"You know, we didn't get to reveal your big model identity as dramatically as we had wished," began Kaoru.

"I had hoped you two would forget that little slip up," she muttered.

"So, as punishment for keeping it from us for long…"

"Punishment?!"

"You have to let us do your make up…"

"Why?!

The twins dragged her away. She waved her arms ecstatically and looked toward Kyouya pleadingly. He simply shrugged. She pouted as they sat her down in a chair separate from the others.

"Please, Rei-senpai," Kaoru drawled.

"Shut up and just do what you want," she sighed.

###

Haruhi sighed. She stood next to Hani sipping tea. They were watching Mori, who was sitting on the windowsill staring out into the rain.

"Mori's presence is the only peaceful facet of this club," she sighed again. "He keeps the club in good balance."

"Um, Mori…" some girls walked over to where the peaceful giant was sitting. "Isn't it cold over there, why don't you sit over here and have some tea?"

"Thank you. You're sweet."

The girls blanched. Haruhi jumped in surprise. Still in shock, she ran over to Tamaki, "Senpai! Did you see that? Did you see what just happened?"

"Haruhi, daddy's working right now…"

Haruhi turned back around and bumped right into Mori.

"Mori…"

"Are you okay? You have to be more careful, Haruhi. You're such a little thing…"

"I'm sorry," she faltered.

"You don't have to apologize. All I mean was that you're pretty cute."

The hosts turned around with shocked looks. Reina and Raiden looked on with shock too.

"What's going on!" Reina screamed.

"Some weird switch has been turned on…or off!" Tamaki ran around in circles.

"It has to be the rain, he's usually so robotic!" yelled Kaoru.

"A machine!" added Hikaru.

"Hikaru, Kaoru."

Everyone stopped and stared at Mori again.

"I'm not a robot. You're being silly," Mori smiled. Smiled!

Reina gripped her face and started running around yelling. "Someone do something! He's scaring me."

Mori gripped her by the arm. "You shouldn't run around so much. You'll get hurt.

She looked more scared than shocked now.

"You look really pretty right now. Are you wearing make up?" He trailed a finger across her cheek and down her chin.

Reina literally stopped breathing. She could feel herself becoming lightheaded. Her mouth began to open and close, almost like a fish. She tried desperately to get something out.

Kyouya suddenly grabbed her arms and maneuvered her away from Mori's steel gaze. He sat her down in the seat he previously inhabited. She visibly relaxed. Her breathing was beginning to get back to normal.

"Takashi!" Hani ran over to his cousin. "Is it possible that you might be a little sleepy?"

Mori stared off in the distance. "I think so."

The hosts grew wide-eyed.

"Then you should probably take a nap." Hani steered him toward a sofa and sat him down.

"Yeah, okay. But only for a little while." Once his head hit the pillow he knocked out.

Raiden sat down next to his sister. "Are you okay?"

She regained her breath. "I-yeah. You bet I'm okay. I was just…a little surprised. That's all."

The hosts and customers went back to their business. Hikaru and Kaoru returned to their subject.

"Oh good, our hard work wasn't ruined," Hikaru grinned.

"Let's just finish up with this eye shadow…" Kaoru applied the makeup carefully.

"There! You look just like you do in this photo!" The twins stuck a magazine underneath her nose.

She gasped. "Wow, I look really good in this…"

"We wanted to see if you were the real deal," Hikaru noted.

"We did your hair the same way. Well as best we could since you wear hair extensions during photo shoots." Kaoru handed her a mirror.

Her eyes grew wide. She liked the way the twins made her look.

"You know…for a model…you seem to have some self-esteem issues…" Hikaru commented.

She turned her head around and glared. "I do not!"

"Ooh! You see that look she's giving us. Sultry! No wonder mother likes her!

"Wait," some girls walked over to the group, eyeing Reina curiously. "You're the model in these magazines?"

Reina gritted her teeth. She felt her chest get heavy. She was keeping it a secret for such a long time she was having a hard time in admitting the truth. Her own family did not know the truth until recently. She even used contacts and hair extensions to hide her identity. Everything seemed to be unraveling quickly.

"That's so cool!"

"What's it like being a model?

"What's the boy like? Is he this handsome in real life?"

Raiden stood back, away from his friends and his sister. He didn't know anything about his sister and her side job. He hardly knew his sister at all and it was killing him inside.

* * *

><p>"Raiden?" Kaoru sat down in the seat in front of him.<p>

Raiden was sitting in the library, trying to get ahead with the week's homework. He gulped. "Yeah?"

Kaoru set down of pile of books in front of him. "Do you think your sister would mind us tagging along on one of her photoshoots?"

Raiden's shoulders drooped. Of all the things to talk about, Kaoru had to pick his sister. "I don't know. I mean she didn't even tell us she was a model. I don't think she's happy about people knowing."

Kaoru rested his chin in the palm of her hand. "True." He concentrated on Raiden's notebook. "What are you up to?"

"Just homework."

"You're always studying, aren't you?"

Raiden avoided his gaze. "I have nothing else to do."

Kaoru jumped from his seat. "Let's go do something fun!"

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

###

When Kaoru said, _let's do something fun_, he didn't really have this in mind.

Raiden stared at all the brightly colored booths and rides. He smelled various types of food and his stomach automatically lurched at the scent of cotton candy.

Kaoru and Hikaru stopped next to him.

"What should we do first?" Hikaru grabbed Haruhi's arm. "Don't run off! We need to accomplish something before you run away."

"I don't even want to be here right now. I need to go to the market," she groaned.

Raiden sighed. This was probably just another one of the twin's attempts at having fun with Haruhi. Why did Kaoru invite him if he was just going to ignore him?"

"This will be fun, right, Rai-chan?" Hani hopped next to Raiden. Mori stood behind them.

Raiden shrugged. "I suppose." He stared after the twins, who had run off, dragging Haruhi behind them.

Tamaki yelled and ran after them. Kyouya was walking slowly behind him.

"What should we do first, Rai-chan? Do you want to play some games?" Hani was enthusiastic.

Raiden settled. He didn't want his foul mood to brush off on his upper classmate, especially when he seemed to excited. "Sure."

* * *

><p>"Its raining men. Hallelujah!"<p>

"We're not falling out of the sky Rei-senpai..."

"You guys might as well be because you're out of this world! Holy shit! Police officers? This might be too sexy for high school, you guys should go change." Reina tried to hide the smile from forming on her face with her hand.

She wondered if the boys had realized the main real reason she came to the host club was because of them, not only because her brother was a member. They were too handsome for their own good.

Suddenly the door behind them opened. A small child peeked through.

"Oh my god." Reina's jaw dropped. She turned back to the host club, "this so low even for you."

"What are you...?"

"She's a child!" she placed her hands on her hips firmly.

"Nee-chan! Stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Welcome my dear sweet lost kitten?" Tamaki said softly.

The little girl looked up at them cutely. Her eyes big and wide and then she pointed a lone finger at the club and announced, "male harem?"

Reina's eyes widened and a loud laugh burst out of her. She dropped to the floor in a fit of giggles. Raiden groaned. The others were shocked stiff.

The little girl continued. She pointed at Kyouya and labeled him 'glasses', Hani was labeled 'lolita', Mori was 'stoic', Haruhi was 'nerd', and the twins were 'incest'. The girl turned to Reina last who finally stopped her nonsense and sat up on the floor.

"Heroine."

"Awe!" Reina cooed.

But then the girl turned to Tamaki, realization flooded through her eyes, "brother!" and she leaped into his arms.

"You didn't tell us you had a little sister!" the twins ran up to them. Reina, Mori, and Hani joined them, crowding around Tamaki.

"You two do look alike," added Hani.

"But…I'm supposed to be an only child," Tamaki said timidly. "What's your name little girl?"

"Kirimi," she squeaked.

"'Kill me'?"

"'Creamy'?"

Tamaki looked at her again, "I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I don't have a sister."

She began to tear up, "you're not my brother…?"

Tamaki's eyes began to tear up too, "I will be starting today!"

"How precious!" Reina clutched her hands together.

"I know you feel sorry," Haruhi began a little monotonous, "but you can't claim her like a lost kitten."

"I volunteer as tribute!" Reina pushed her way into Tamaki, "I'll claim her. We'll have tea parties and read shojo manga."

"Kyouya do something," Raiden groaned.

"What do we do, Kyouya?" Haruhi asked.

"Her actual brother probably does attend this school."

"She must've confused Tama-chan with someone else," Hani offered.

"Yeah, but there isn't anyone else who looks like milord."

"Well, there is someone," Reina contemplated out loud.

The door creaked open. "Kirimi," a creepy voice entered the room.

"Kirimi!"

Tamaki and Kirimi screamed!

"Nekozawa!"

* * *

><p>"How's it going?"<p>

Reina entered the host club on the third day of Nekozawa's light training. The host club was determined on making Nekozawa immune to the light and reconnect him with his little sister.

"Not much development, Rei-senpai." Kyouya answered, but jumped slightly at his own familiarity with her.

She noticed his mood change and shot him a questioning look. She watched as Tamaki drilled Nekozawa in poetry. He was not wearing his wig or robe but he was holding a candle. Every time Nekozawa slipped up, Tamaki would shine a bright flashlight in his face.

"Is this really alright for Umehito-kun?"

Kyouya looked at her from the corner of his eye, noting again, her familiarity with the third year.

"Kyouya-kun," she whispered, catching his attention.

He turned his full attention to her. "Yes?"

"Thanks for taking Raiden out last week. I kind of just wanted it to be just him and Kaoru, but oh well," she shrugged. "Thanks anyway."

"What was it for, if I may ask?" Kyouya kept his voice low.

Reina looked away from his eyes. "He's usually down during this time of the year. I just wanted him to be cheered up."

Haruhi suddenly entered the room. "If you guys have time to waste and goof off can you go play and take care of Kirimi instead."

"Oh you don't like children, Haruhi?" Kyouya asked, his eyes glancing over both females in the room.

"No. I like children, but after these three days I've had to read fifty manga to her. I'm getting tired of reading shojo…"

"Nii-chan…?" Kirmi entered. "It's dark!"

"Oh no, Kirimi I asked you stay in the other room," Haruhi said.

Kirimi started to cry and Tamaki rushed to her. "Look, it's not scary at all. Here's a candy. Look today I brought you a doll."

Nekozawa stared at them wide-eyed.

Reina sighed. "Tamaki is so fatherly…It's adorable!"

A few hours later, the host club succeeded in getting Nekozawa to withstand the light from a flashlight.

"We did it!"

"Good job, Nekozawa!" Tamaki patted him on the back, "just keep it up and you'll be able to walk around in…"

"Oh…Kirimi!"

Nekozawa turned to face his sister, "Kiri…"

She screamed and ran out the room.

Kirimi's harsh scream made Reina jump behind Kyouya.

He stiffened slightly.

She gripped the back of his blazer. "I got to admit," Reina began, "that scared the shit out of me too."

Nekozawa plopped over.

"Nekozawa!" Tamaki ran to him.

"It's okay…even if I continue to training like this. It doesn't mean Kirimi will like me. She doesn't want a brother like me. She wants someone like you Tamaki."

"No! The person that little girl wants is you! She wants to be with you! If you care about your sister you shouldn't give up even if it kills you!" Tamaki's yelling sounded surprisingly inspirational.

"Boss, she's in the courtyard and she ran into a cat. That stray's taken a liking to her," the twins announced, "Not surprising considering she's from the Nekozawa family."

"Huh? No, it's not like that! It's true we like cats but we don't like the actual animal. Kirimi is afraid of cats!" he jumped from the ground and ran for the door.

"Wait, Nekozawa your robe…!" Haruhi tried to hand him his robe but he ignored her and ran through the door.

"Kirimi!" Nekozawa ran across the courtyard.

"Nii-chan…" she cried.

"Kirimi!" he ran those lost few feet and scooped her up in his arms. The host club ran out after them followed by Reina.

"It's okay Kirimi. Don't be scared," Nekozawa took out his cat puppet and started to distract her, "Belzeneff will curse the bad…cats…" Nekozawa fainted.

Raiden nudged his sister. "I can't believe you dated that loser."

"What?!" Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, and Haruhi turned to her and invaded much of her personal space. "You dated Nekozawa?!"

She shrugged innocently. "Yeah…we _were_ in the same class for like, ever. He's cute. It was bound to happen," she shrugged.

"Why…did you guys break up?" asked Hani who was surprised by the news too but did not show it like the others.

"Uh, well," she scratched her cheek sheepishly, "we really couldn't go on any real dates because of his…er, condition." She laughed.

###

"A date?" Kaoru's bangs concealed much of his view of his upper class men. The host club had just finished cleaning up their club room, when Reina had pulled him aside to speak to him.

Reina pushed a short strand of hair behind her ears, but to no avail, it fell back onto her cheek. "Yeah, a date or if you prefer, just an outing as friends. I wouldn't call it a date really. I just want to hang out. What do you say?"

Kaoru began to fiddle with the middle button on his blazer. He liked Reina and he thought she was pretty, but he didn't see her as anything past that.

She stared back with bright eyes. She moved on her toes slightly, back and forth, waiting for his response. A ball of regret began to bounce around in her brain. Kaoru was looking at her strange.

"Just friends?" Kaoru quirked up an eyebrow.

"Mhmm." Reina nodded.

"Okay," he muttered. "Sure."

"Great! Meet me at Meiji Shrine on Saturday at ten. Don't be late!" She skipped away from him and out the double doors of the host club, barely giving her brother a goodbye pat on the back.

He stuck his hands into his pants pockets and began to wonder what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

><p>Raiden groaned silently. The girl walking away was the third girl to come by his desk and 'inquire' about his life, particularly his sister. A week had passed from the initial announcement, which gave the school plenty of time to rile up their courage and confront him about it.<p>

Hikaru turned around in his seat and faced Raiden. "You're quite the attention hog aren't you?" a grin played across his face.

"Shut up. This is all your fault you know."

Hikaru shot a hand across his chest and pretended to look hurt. "What do you mean by that? I have done nothing…_wrong_."

"If it weren't for you the whole school wouldn't know about my sister and her…"

"_Secret_," Hikaru finished for him. He leaned his elbow on top of Raiden's desk. "It was bound to get out eventually. t did turn out to be quite dramatic, didn't it? But, no harm done. Your sister didn't really mind either."

"She was just being nice." Raiden rested his chin in the open palm of his hand.

"She's always nice," Hikaru furthered. "That's just the way she is."

"You think so?"

Hikaru nodded. "How many girls have come by?"

Raiden sighed. "That was the third girl this morning. Classes haven't even started. I'm sure it'll get worse as the day goes by. Yesterday, a whole bunch of girls came up to me and a few guys too. I don't think I like that."

Hikaru laughed. "Get used to it, man."

Kaoru and Haruhi interrupted their conversation.

"You guys took forever," Hikaru complained.

Kaoru pulled out his desk chair. "I couldn't find the book. I had to ask the librarian, but she was helping a few other people too."

"It wasn't that long," Haruhi interjected. She placed her book bag on her desk with a plop. "We're not even late for class."

"What are you guys talking about anyway?" Kaoru began to fish his textbooks out of his book bag.

Hikaru grinned again. "Rei-senpai's new found celebrity status at school."

"Rei, Rei-senpai," Kaoru stuttered.

Hikaru shot him a quizzical look. "Yeah…"

Raiden looked at him with an odd expression as well. It wasn't normal for Kaoru to stutter like that. "Girls have been coming up to me nonstop because of my sister."

"Really?" Haruhi asked this time.

He nodded. "They ask about her and the guy she's always with. I hope they stop soon once they realize I know absolutely nothing." He rested his head on his desk.

* * *

><p>Raiden stared into Kaoru's eyes, surprise clearly written on both their faces.<p>

"Raiden? What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked.

"Me?" he breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Kaoru gaped. He settled his eyes on the ground at his feet. "Rei-senpai asked me to meet her here."

"Really?"

Kaoru nodded.

"Why were you – "

"Why are you here?" Kaoru interrupted.

Raiden fingered the DSLR camera hanging from his neck. "My sister asked me to take some photographs for her today. She said she was going to go, but she wasn't feeling well."

"Oh…"

Raiden shuffled around on his feet and decided to give it a shot. The worst thing he could say was no, right? "My sister is making me hop around town. Do you…want to join me?"

Kaoru shrugged. "Sure. I'm already here."

Raiden couldn't help smiling. "Great. Let's get to it."

###

"Rei-senpai wants you to do all this?" Kaoru read over a piece of notebook paper. Reina's handwriting scrawled all the way to the bottom.

Raiden and Kaoru walked out of Meiji Shrine and walked toward the train station adjacent to the shrine. "Yeah, but she told me to do what I can."

"Traffic. Pedestrians. Bicycles. Park. Public Transit. Food. This is…interesting?" Kaoru handed the paper back to Raiden.

"My sister thinks out of the box sometimes." Raiden stuffed the paper into his jacket pocket.

"We'd probably find 'people' in Takeshita-dori or in Omotesando," Kaoru offered.

"Okay, let's head over." Instead of entering the station, they walked across the street and entered one of the most famous streets in Japan – Takeshita-dori in Harajuku.

"Have you ever been to Harajuku?" Raiden asked. They walked past underneath the overhead sign signally the entrance to Japan's fashion capital.

"I've been a few times. My mom has told me she sends her interns and assistants around here all the time, but I don't come here a lot. I shop online mostly."

"I see." Raiden began to snap photos and internally registered everything Kaoru said. It was still early in the morning, so the stores just began to open and groups or duos of teenagers were barely making their way down the street to their favorite stores.

"Do you come here often?" Kaoru asked this time. Kaoru moved his hands into his pockets.

"No. My sister comes here almost every week. She likes to shop, even though she doesn't actually buy a lot of things. She likes the action, I guess."

"I haven't really seen you or your sister out of school uniforms," Kaoru eyed Raiden, causing him to blush. "You look good."

"Thanks," Raiden muttered a reply.

Raiden took some more photographs. Random shops and secretly random people. Kaoru walked next to him in quiet solace. He gazed around to the random shops and people. Anytime someone would look toward him, he would look quickly away. Raiden thought it was endearing. He lifted the camera and took a quick picture. He felt eternally grateful his sister asked him to come in her place. If she hadn't he wouldn't have the chance to spend some time with Kaoru.

He pictured his sister at home, curled up with a cup of tea and probably reading a book or playing a game. She seemed fine yesterday. He couldn't believe she caught a bug so quickly.

"You know," Kaoru began, interrupting Raiden from his thoughts, "Rei-senpai seemed fine this week."

Raiden stared in awe, it was like Kaoru read his mind. "I, I was just thinking that. She usually takes very good care of herself, but she could be careless at times."

"Your sister is weird."

"You think?"

Kaoru gave him a quick glance. "People ask me out all the time, but she was the first person I said yes too.

Raiden stopped in his tracks. "Really? Why?"

"Why did I say yes?"

Raiden nodded, hoping he would continue.

Kaoru sighed. He crossed his arms before him and looked up at the sky longingly. "She's the first person to ask me to 'hang out'. I've never been asked to just hang out. Girls usually ask for dates and then sometimes they're not even specific. They ask my brother and I or both of us," he huffed the last part. "Rei-senpai, wanted to hang out, as friends. I liked that."

Raiden stared back in amazement.

"We should get the rest of senpai's pictures," Kaoru added quickly. He moved down the sidewalk.

Raiden had to jog to catch up with him.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10 - Family Bonding

Rated T for Language

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Chapter 10 – Family Bonding<p>

Raiden covered one of his ears and strained to listen to the person on the phone. "I'm sorry for the late notice, Kyouya-senpai. She's been sick for a few days now and she asked me to cancel, but I forgot. I'm really sorry."

They were all supposed to go to Kyoto for the weekend but Reina caught a cold.

"It's fine," Kyouya's voice sounded firm. "It would be best if we let Rei-senpai get better than to go on a small holiday."

Raiden could hear his senpai typing on his laptop. "Thank you for understanding. Please relay my apologizes to the others."

"There's no need. Bye, Raiden." Kyouya hung up.

"That was weird," Raiden muttered. He placed his phone down on the counter and went back to the task at hand, making his sister her favorite soup.

###

"Are you sure this is okay?" asked Haruhi. She stood alongside the rest of the host club outside the Moriyama household.

"Sure it is! We gotta help Rei-chan get better," Hani said happily.

"Raiden never said we couldn't come over," Kyouya said smoothly, not like he really asked.

"It's settled," Tamaki walked to the door and knocked, "we need to show our support for Rei-senpai's health."

Tamaki knocked on the door and stepped back to wait. They could hear someone running inside.

The door opened to reveal Raiden wearing an apron and holding a large spoon, he looked surprised to see them. He glanced at the spoon he was holding and quickly hid it behind his back. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to visit!" said Tamaki.

"We wanted to help Rei-chan feel better!

"We actually just wanted to go through Rei-senpai's room again. See what else we could find," Hikaru answered honestly.

"They dragged me along," Haruhi groaned and pushed her way past the twins, Tamaki, and Hani. "I brought this though. Some fruit. There's some vegetables too if she wanted some soup."

"Oh, that's so kind of you. Thank you, Haruhi." Raiden took the box of fruits and vegetables into his arms. "Um, come on in, I guess." He left the door open and walked further into the house, leaving them to enter and take of their shoes. He disappeared into the kitchen.

"It's pretty quiet in here," said Hani.

Raiden returned without the spoon. "I'm not sure if I'd be much company today. I'm trying to make some soup for my sister and it's just the two of us today."

"It's fine I brought my laptop."

"I brought some movies we could all watch!"

"I brought a cake," Hani appeared with a cake in hand.

"We wanted to look in Rei-senpai's room…"

"I can help you make the soup if you'd like," Haruhi offered.

"That would be great. Thank you." Raiden sighed in relief. "Make yourselves at home and Hikaru! Kaoru!" he caught the boys before they snuck upstairs. "Don't go through my sister's room. Sheesh." They groaned. Raiden walked back into the kitchen. Haruhi followed.

All the boys walked down the hall and into the living room. Tamaki immediately commandeered the television and started playing one of the movies he brought over to watch. Kyouya sat down on the couch and opened up his laptop. The twins dropped down to the ground and sulked. Hani had gone into the kitchen to drop off his cake. Mori sat down on the couch and brought out a book to read.

Back in the kitchen, Raiden was boiling a teapot filled with water.

"I feel kind of bad. I didn't mean for any of you to come over. Everyone must be so bored." Raiden got a cup and plate ready.

"Nonsense, Rai-chan," Hani placed his cake on the counter. "We wanted to bring you and your sister company. That's all."

Haruhi began to busy herself cutting up vegetables.

"Would you like me to cut you a piece of this cake you brought?"

Hani nodded happily. "I would like that." He bounced over to the table in the kitchen and sat down. He stared out into the garden. The screen doors were open so it allowed a full view of their garden and let the cool autumn air flow through.

Raiden placed a plate of cake and some tea down on the table. "I'll be right back. Let me just take some tea up to my sister." He grabbed another cup and left the kitchen.

"I've never seen Raiden look so frazzled," Hani said before taking a bite from his cake.

"What do you mean?" Haruhi slid the cut vegetables into a boiling pot.

"It's usually Reina whose following Raiden around and taking care of him, but now it's the other way around. It's cute."

# # #

Raiden walked up the stairs slowly. He cupped the tea carefully making sure it didn't spill over. Once he reached the top he let out a breath and began walking down the hallway but stopped short next to his sister's room.

"What are you guys doing?" he whispered harshly.

Hikaru and Kaoru were standing in front of Reina's closet, grinning madly.

"We came up to bug, Rei-senpai. But she's not here," Kaoru waved his arm to the room, "where are you hiding her?"

"I'm not hiding her. Get out of her room. She's going to yell at me." Raiden walked down the rest of the hallway. The twins followed behind him.

He stopped in front of his father's door and opened it quietly.

"Nee-chan?" he tiptoed inside. Reina was lying curled up inside a futon bed. Her hair was splayed out crazily on the pillow. There was a box of tissues next to her and an empty plate.

Raiden knelt down next to her and set the tea down. The twins looked around the room and started to explore.

"Nee-chan, I made you some tea."

She groaned, but sat up reluctantly. She eyed him drowsily. "Thank you, Raiden." Her eyes landed on the bright hair of the twins. She looked back at her brother, "am I hallucinating or are the twins really here?"

"They're here. Don't worry. You're not hallucinating," he smiled.

"Oh, thank goodness." She reached out for the tea. "Thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome. Tanaka-san actually came by to drop it off. She wanted to thank you for helping her in the garden."

"Oh, that's nice of her," Reina took a sip.

"_Nice_? Of course. It's her fault you're sick in the first place." Raiden sat down with a pout.

"Raiden, don't be like that." She set the tea down.

"Why are you guys here?" she aimed the question at the twins.

"Oh we're visiting. The whole club is here actually. They're downstairs. Why are you in this room?" they asked, one asking a question after the other.

"They're all here?" she turned to her brother.

"Don't look at me. They invited themselves over," he held his hands up.

"So why are you in here?" Kaoru sat down next to Raiden. Reina noticed her brother blush. "We went to your room to…say hi."

"My dad has a TV in his room and I wanted to watch anime and…play video games." She scratched her head.

"I see. Is this Uki Doki Memorial?" Hikaru asked picking up a game box.

"Yeah. Renge let me borrow it."

Hikaru looked over at his brother with horror.

# # #

"Okay, just because my sister said you can hang out in her room doesn't mean you can do whatever. She's in a fragile state right now, she probably doesn't even know what she's saying," Raiden warned.

The boys left Reina to sleep in peace and returned to her actual bedroom. Hikaru and Kaoru went straight to her closet.

"You guys are so nosy."

"What? Aren't you even a little interested in her secret life? I'm jealous we didn't get to reveal it in a big and grand way but oh well," Hikaru shrugged.

"Yeah, anyway we're just looking at her clothes. She dresses so fashionably, I want to see," said Kaoru.

Raiden walked out of the room and went back down stairs. He just hoped they wouldn't cause a mess.

When he returned to the kitchen he found Hani with his head down on the table with an apparent sugar induced nap and Haruhi doing her homework.

"Oh, Haruhi if you need to use a computer we have one in the tatami room. You're welcome to use it."

She nodded. "Thank you. Oh, the soup is ready for whenever you need it."

"Thank you, Haruhi!" he grabbed her hand. "You're a lifesaver!"

"Sure."

He walked out and back to the living room. When he entered, he found Tamaki engrossed in the film he brought. His eyes looked excited and he was sitting on the edge of his seat.

Kyouya was on his laptop and had a notebook out. His concentration was split between both.

Mori was standing on the side of the room in front of an open screen door.

"You remind me of my sister," Raiden said to him. "She always stands here too." Raiden looked out to the garden.

"The garden is like my sister's pride and joy." Raiden stepped out onto the deck that circled their house. He waved his arm, gesturing Mori to follow him.

Mori joined him and the boys walked around the house.

"It's kind of a communal garden really, it somehow connects to the house behind us." Raiden pointed out into the garden to a house they couldn't really see. "The Tanaka family live there. They've lived there for as long as I could remember. Their kids don't really visit anymore so my sister and brother usually visit them once a week to help around the house. A few days ago, Reina and Tanaka-san were out in the garden trimming some bushes when the rain caught them."

Raiden sighed. "My sister will do anything for that old woman. It drives me nuts really, but I guess it's sort of endearing."

Mori nodded.

"You're welcome to look around. I know you guys came here to hang out, but I'm not much company."

Mori shook his head. "You're doing just fine."

Raiden fixed his eyes upon his senpai. He was tall and overbearing. Silent. Statuesque. He could understand why Reina had a crush on him. He was handsome like the others and noble and kind.

He grinned. "Thanks."

Underneath, his mysteriousness, Mori was definitely kind. Raiden strolled back into the house, but not without noticing Mori sit down on the deck and take out the book he brought along with him.

# # #

"Raiden," Reina called out. She let the top cover of her futon slide down as she sat up. The light coming in from the windows felt warm. She had slept so comfortably but the incessant urge to go to the bathroom woke her up. "Raiden?" She crawled out of her bed and tried to stand up.

The door crept open and two identical heads peeked in.

"Rei-senpai?"

"Can you help me?"

They rushed over to her and helped her up slowly.

"I need to go to the bathroom," she admitted.

Hikaru eyed his brother.

"We'll help you get there."

They walked out of the room slowly and down the hallway to the bathroom. They held onto her arms gently as she shuffled her feet. Once they reached their destination they opened the door for her.

"Thank you, carry on," she waved them away. She closed the door behind her.

They returned to Reina's room where they made it their mission to re-organize her closet. They were doing fairly well. They were done with her school uniform section and her accessories.

"She actually has a lot of fashion magazines," Hikaru told his brother.

"We should organize them by season and then by date and tell her she should recycle some because some of these are pretty old." Kaoru set the box of magazines aside. He reached into the closet and pulled out another box. "Oooh what's this?" he opened the box but jerked to a stop.

"What is it, Kaoru?" Hikaru glanced over to his brother. He peered over his shoulder.

"They're memories," Kaoru whispered. Inside the box, there was a small stuffed dog, flower petals of all shapes, colors, and kinds. There were a few notebooks, photo frames, and a photo album.

Hikaru picked up one of the photo frames.

It was Shizuo. It looked fairly recent because he could recognize his blonde hair. He was wearing a black suit and held a violin to his chin.

Kaoru picked up another photo frame. It was Shizuo again, but this one maybe a year old. He was at the beach and the setting sun offered good lighting for this photo.

The last photo frame held a picture of Shizuo and Reina. This one was a few years old because she had long hair to her waist. Shizuo's hair was also a brown color, probably his natural hair. Reina was dressed in a St. Lobelia school uniform though. Shizuo was in a public high school uniform. He looked kind of grumpy but he was looking at Reina from the corner of his eye and he was smirking slightly. Reina was holding onto his hand and waving at whoever was taking the picture.

"This is all really sweet," Kaoru said.

The placed the pictures back down in the box and closed it up. They glanced at each other quickly. The pushed to box the furthest they could in the closet.

"Do you think she's still heartbroken?"

Kaoru shrugged. Before he could answer they heard a loud thump in the hallway.

They jumped out the room and found Reina on the floor outside the bathroom. She looked over at them and grinned sheepishly, "I fell down."

Hikaru raced to pick her up. "Kaoru go get, Mori-senpai."

Kaoru nodded and ran down the stairs.

"Hold on, Rei-senpai. Mori-senpai should be able to help you back to your bed."

"What?" she sounded sleepy.

Mori and Kaoru were back in record time. Raiden trailed behind them. Mori knelt down next to Reina and scooped her up in his arms easily.

"She's sleeping in that room," Hikaru directed. Mori walked over slowly followed by Raiden.

"You guys got back quickly."

"Yeah, it scared me. I didn't even finish my sentence and he was already running for the stairs," explained Kaoru.

"Hm. Weird."

# # #

Mori set her down gently on her bed.

"I'm fine, sheesh."

"_Nee-chan_."

"I think I lost my footing. Or I fell asleep," she stared off into space, "I don't really remember what happened."

Mori placed her covers over her legs.

"Would you like some lunch? Haruhi made you some soup," Raiden offered.

"Really?" she gasped. "I would love some."

Raiden nodded and then looked to Mori, "can you stay up here and keep her company?"

He nodded. Raiden left the room.

"Have you guys been here all day?" Reina asked. It was already one in the afternoon.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Mori shrugged.

Reina pulled a large stuffed panda into her lap and squeezed it tightly.

"This is panda-kun," she introduced. "I didn't have much of an imagination when I was younger," she laughed softly.

"He's…cute."

"Right?! I think so too. I've had him forever. My father gave him to me one time when I was sick. He told me my mother got it, but I know it was him. My mother was never really thoughtful. Not like that at least," she said under her breath. "I'm sorry for causing trouble. I really wanted to go to Kyoto with all of you."

"It's no trouble."

"What do you have there?" Reina noticed a bulge in Mori's shirt pocket.

Mori took out the book he was carrying.

"I just finished it. It's very good." He handed the book over. She set her bear aside and took the book in her hands and leafed through it.

"You can borrow it," he offered.

"Really?

"Nee-chan, I have your soup," Raiden entered the room, his eyes on the soup, making sure he didn't spill any.

"Thank you," she said to Mori and then looked over to her brother. "Thank you, Raiden! Look at you being so homely, I love it."

Raiden set the tray over his sister's lap. "Here you go and I brought you some ginger ale too."

She smiled up to him. "Thank you."

Mori stood up from the floor and left the room to let the siblings some time alone.

# # #

Raiden walked into the kitchen with a bowl of empty soup. He set the tray and bowl in the sink.

"Haruhi," he got the attention of the girl sitting at the kitchen table, "she loved it. She wanted me to thank you."

She smiled and went back to her homework.

"How's Rei-chan doing?" Hani was now sitting next to Mori. They were both doing homework.

"She's fine. I just gave her some more medicine. She'll probably fall asleep again soon after she's done-" He sat down next to Haruhi.

A high-pitched squeal suddenly sounded through the house. Mori jumped in alarm.

"It's okay. My sister's playing a video game."

# # #

"Hello, darling children! I've come home early so I can spend some extra time with my lovely-"

The host club was gathered around a kotatsu in the tatami room. They looked on to the newcomer with surprise.

"Otou-san, welcome home." Raiden stood up from his seat.

The man who just entered the room removed his coat and tossed it over his arm. "Raiden?"

"Otou-san, these are my friends. We go to school together."

"Moriyama-san, it's good to see you," Kyouya stood up from his seat and walked over to the man. He bowed respectfully, "thank you for allowing us to visit your home."

"Ootori-kun, you're looking well," he loosened his tie. He looked over at the other boys, "the host club right?"

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki nodded. They felt a little at awe. They remember at one point Reina had distinctly said, '_Moriyama men are blessed with good looks_', and she wasn't lying.

Their brother, Akihiko, was one thing, but their father could make Reina run for her money if he ever wanted to be a model.

"My name is Kenzou Moriyama. You're always welcome here," he smiled at them and turned back to Raiden, "how's your sister doing?"

"I think she's doing better. I was about to going to go get her once I figured out what to make for dinner."

"No need! I've brought okayu! Enough for everyone if you are all interested." He pushed a canvas bag into his son's arms. "I'm going to go see your sister."

Kenzou walked up the steep steps. They heard him mutter, 'damnit'.

"Your father is so handsome," Tamaki breathed.

"You think?" Raiden began to think to himself. He took the bowl of okayu into the kitchen and got it ready to serve. He never really saw his father, his brother, or even himself as handsome. Reina claims they are. People they run into claim they are but he thought it was mostly because of Reina. She always dolled herself when she went out and she wouldn't allow them to be seen with her unless they looked spiffy as well.

He placed the okayu on the counter. Haruhi walked in, "are you going to make anything for the okayu."

"Oh I don't know. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Do you have some fish? I can prepare some right now if you'd like," she offered.

"Are you sure? You've already done so much for us today."

"It's nothing," Haruhi found some fish in their refrigerator and began frying away.

Raiden suddenly heard muffled talking from the direction of the stairs. He left the kitchen and walked back down the hallway. Hikaru and Kaoru were also peeking their heads toward the door.

"Tou-san, stop pulling my hair."

"Look at you. You could have at least changed. You look terrible."

"_Thank you_, for being so considerate."

"There are handsome _men_ downstairs. Your hair is getting longer, it's nice."

"Can you sto-aap! Damnit. _These_ stairs."

The duo finally reached the bottom floor. Her father led her into the tatami room. It was too bright for her and she cowered away.

"Rei-chan! Come sit next to me," Hani scooted in a way that would make her sit down between him and Mori.

She walked on over and sat down. Her father sat down next to Tamaki. He grinned at him. "You are all so handsome. I'm surprised none of my children have tried to snag you yet,"

"Tou-san!" Reina and Raiden both yelled. Reina dropped her head on the table.

"The food is ready!" Haruhi walked in with the okayu and side of fish. Raiden raced back to bring some bowls. Haruhi placed it down in the center and proceeded to sit down next to Hikaru. Raiden returned with bowls and drinks.

"This is so weird," Reina muttered.

"How are you feeling, Rei-senpai?" Kyouya asked.

"Fine. I feel a whole lot better actually. All the medicine and sleep I suppose," she tapped her fingers on the table. "I can't believe you guys painted my nails while I was asleep. That's so creepy." She shot the twins a glare.

They shrugged. Raiden gave out bowls to everyone and finally sat down.

"Itadakimasu!"

# # #

"Thank you guys for coming, you didn't have to do this," Raiden stood at the entrance gate to his home, the host club on the other side.

"Don't mention it," said Kaoru.

"We learned a lot of new things," grinned Hikaru.

Raiden looked at them weirdly. "Thank you so much Haruhi! I wouldn't have been able to take care of my sister on my own."

"You're welcome."

"I'll see you guys at school."

"Bye, Rai-chan!"

Mori patted him on the head. Raiden blushed.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! As always let me know in the reviews how you thought and if you find any typos or odd sentence structures. Thanks!


	11. Chapter 11 - Ouran School Race

Rated T for Language

Edited: July 12, 2014. Chapter 11 has under gone extensive editing. FYI.

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Let it go, Let it go

Can't hold it back anymore,

Let it go, let it go

Turn away and slam the door

I don't care what they're going to say

Let the storm rage on

The cold never bothered me anyway."

- Let it Go performed by Idina Menzel (from the Disney movie, Frozen)

* * *

><p>Chapter 11 – Ouran School Race and Festival<p>

A black car rolled up beside Reina and honked twice. She jumped away startled. She almost dropped all the mail she was carrying. She eyed the car and watched it as it rolled to a stop. Raiden stepped out of the vehicle. She took her book bag and hit him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" He winced. "What are you carrying in there?" He closed the car door.

"You scared me!"

"Rei-chan!" The car's window rolled down and Hani's head popped out. "We gave Rai-chan a ride home."

Raiden gave Hani a nod and walked through the front gate of their home.

"Oh? That was so kind of you," she stared after her brother.

"The school fair is coming up in two weeks…will you be going?" Hani asked sweetly.

She filed through the mail. "Yes! I'm going to try my best to make it. It's on a school day but who cares!" she grinned. "I like going to school functions."

"Great! We'll see you there then."

She nodded.

"Bye, Rei-chan!"

* * *

><p>Fourteen days until the school fair and all of Ouran Academy was busy preparing for the big day.<p>

Raiden gathered the remaining plans into his arms. The class theme was a mystery-solving event. He's never been so excited for a school festival before, but this year was different. He was determined to make it different. He wanted to take more initiative with the class plans and the planning. The organizing and relations. Everything.

He walked by Haruhi and noticed her awestruck face.

"You okay, Haruhi?" he readjusted his paper rolls.

"Isn't this supposed to be an amateur type of thing? Why are there so many merchants around?"

"Oh!" he realized what she was referring too, "well you see this gives us all a chance to impress –"

"It's all about leadership," Hikaru and Kaoru interrupted.

"And it's not all for us," Kaoru furthered, "it's for our parents. This event isn't like Halloween or Christmas. Our parents can come and see how we're doing."

Raiden nodded. "The guests look at how we carry out plans and how we use our money effectively."

Haruhi placed a hand to her chin, "now that you mention it, most of the students here are heirs to important conglomerates. How bothersome."

Raiden couldn't help grinning.

A classmate burst into the room yelling about the central salon.

"What's so great about the central salon?" whispered Haruhi.

The class rep stepped up. "It's all about the importance. The grand ballrooms are used as lounges for our families. The central salon gets the most attention and who ever gets chosen to use it gets the most attention," he explained, "essentially whichever group holds the central salon reigns over the school festival! The race to get the central salon is one of the biggest events of the year!"

"Eh?"

###

"Of course we're joining the race," Kyouya said matter-of-factly, once Haruhi had asked him about it.

The host club gathered in their usual room, but their guests were visibly absent.

"Last year's winner," Hani said between bites of cake, "were decided by a chess tournament, right? We lost in the final round with the student council."

"You guys lost?" Haruhi inquired. "That surprises me."

"I didn't even know you guys were capable of losing," Raiden noted.

Kyouya placed his book bag on the table, "well the son of a very important business associate for the Hitachiin's was on the student council last year, but we stayed until the finals for PR reasons."

Haruhi and Raiden both groaned. Kyouya was always the honest one around, but his candor wasn't always appreciated.

"We'll win this year though," Tamaki pumped his fist, "right?"

"Yes, but I think we might have a problem," Kyouya lifted his bag and stacks of paper fell out.

The boys and Haruhi opened up the papers and began to read.

_Withdraw from the salon race. Or else!_

"This is hate mail!" Haruhi yelled.

"Why are you barely telling us now!" Tamaki yelled this time.

"I didn't seem important until we got this letter," Kyouya brandished another piece of paper, which read:

_Prepare to die!_

"The person is probably someone who gets angered easily," Kyouya contemplated.

"You've made them angry!" Tamaki accused.

Kyouya turned toward his best friend and glared, "I said, _I'm sorry_."

"No you didn't!" Tamaki and Haruhi yelled.

Kyouya ignored them. "We'll find the culprit and crush them. That's all. We are not withdrawing from this race."

The hosts all stared at him a little wide-eyed.

"Haruhi, if you can't find the culprit your debt will be doubled. Tamaki, you'll become my slave for the rest of your life."

"My sister would love to be here right now," Raiden said, mostly to himself.

* * *

><p>Raiden burst into the clubroom. Eleven days until school festival and Raiden was beginning to feel a little stressed. He was trying to finalize one of the last few mystery games for his class's activity. The class president had assigned him the story background and character profiles.<p>

Heads turned to face him. He noticed the club wasn't alone in the room. Renge was present plus two members of the student council.

"The student council are dropping out of the race," Hani explained to him.

"Will the host club be withdrawing as well?" Kanan Mitsuyama, secretary of the student council, asked.

"No," answered Kyouya.

She nodded, "alright then. Good luck." The two members left the room as swiftly as they came.

"There is one person who might be responsible. The paper smell of citrus. If we can deduce-"

"What are they talking about?" Raiden whispered to Hani. Hani pointed to the hate mail that littered the table.

"—the culprit will probably be…"

"So…" a new voice entered the room. "The student council is dropping out."

The football club had sneaked into the room. Takeshi Kuze, the president of the football club, bounced an orange in his hand. "It's a good decision since the race this year will be a one on one battle between our club and the host club."

Kuze stood in front of Kyouya. He gave his head a haughty nod. "Hey, Ootori. There's a rumor," he gave his orange a bite, "you guys threw the chess tournament on purpose. Is that true?"

Kuze gave him a fake grin. "You know, ever since last year's race, we've been a joke. It's an embarrassment to us. My fiancée has even heard the rumors."

Kyouya returned the fake grin. "If you were respected in the first place people wouldn't laugh at you.

Kuze chomped at his orange. "Are you saying it's my fault? You have some nerve," he seethed, "remember when we were kids? Even in preschool, you've been like this…"

"I don't remember what happened while we were kids," Kyouya added.

Raiden looked back and forth between Kyouya and the boys who just entered the room. The football club was well known around campus and were national champions. He couldn't quite place the connection between the president of the football club and Kyouya. He couldn't figure out whether they were old friends with a friendly rivalry or plain old rivals.

Kuze cleared his throat, "anyway do you really think a member of the great Ootori family should be involved in a club like this? Oh," Kuze chucked, "sorry. It doesn't matter what you do. You're only the third son, you'll never be heir, will you? No wonder," Kuze's eyes flicked over to the hosts who were gathered together," you follow the chairman's son around like a lost puppy, licking the glory right of his feet."

Raiden felt a breath escape him. He'd never seen anyone act so cruel in Kyouya's presence.

"Hey," Tamaki's stern voice interrupted, "_that_ is none of your business. We'll settle your grudge during the race."

"Fine. We'll see who is the more talented."

* * *

><p>"Nee-chan!" the video call on his cellphone was becoming blurry.<p>

"Hey, Raiden," she droned.

"Hey, Rei-senpai." Kaoru's head bobbed behind Raiden's.

She waved. "So, two more days until the festival and the central salon race is today?"

Raiden nodded.

"Today's the big day, Rei-chan!" Hani's head popped in.

Her eyes instantly brighten at the sight of the short blonde. "I'm wishing you guys the best of luck! I know you boys will defeat them." She giggled, "and with Haruhi's brains I'm sure it'll be easy. Don't take things too literal," she warned.

Soon enough the rest of the club gathered around Raiden's phone.

"Where are you, Rei-senpai?" Tamaki asked.

"Hi, Tamaki-kun! Oh," she turned to look around, allowing the host club a generous view of St. Lobelia's campus, "I'm at school…Well, good luck you lot. Not that you need it of course," she gave them her best smile, "you'll blow them out of the water." She gave them a thumbs up.

# # #

Raiden sat down on the front steps. His sister sat down beside him.

"It sounds like it was a fun day," she leaned on his shoulder playfully. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're confronting the chairman. Apparently, he's the one who's been sending the other letters." Raiden fingered is still wet hair. He had fallen in the pool above the west gym, where the prize for the central salon was located.

The final obstacle had them running around campus and into the third year's section, Sunset Venice. The host club and football club originally thought the crown was there, but Haruhi quickly deduced it was at the pool.

"Why aren't you up there, you know, confronting the chairman?"

"Why haven't you come to the host club, you know, in like a month?" he mocked.

"Hey," she shoved him away. "I've been really busy you know. First, my cold and I had to catch up with school. Now, I have a lot of work to catch up with. That's all."

"Are you avoiding someone?"

She knocked her knee into his. "I'm just trying to do my best. For you. For me."

"What are you talking about?"

Reina stood up from her seat and dusted herself off. She looked up at the school. The large expanse of the high school wing still amazed her. As a little girl she used to dream what it would be like to finally be in the upper-tier - one of the top dogs on campus (with no mention to the college section, of course). That dream never came to fruition though. Her eyes landed on a window two floors above them. She thought she could recognize dark hair.

"Nee-chan," Raiden groaned.

"I'll see you in two days."

* * *

><p>Raiden straightened his vest and bow tie. He looked around his classroom. He believed his classmates did a great job in decorating and organizing their event. He couldn't wait for his sister to see their hard work. He couldn't wait for her to try out one of the mysteries, he was sure she was going to enjoy it.<p>

Hikaru and Kaoru stood near the door and greeted the people who entered. Haruhi was stationed at the help desk for any visitors who needed help with their mystery.

Once it started to get crowded, Raiden couldn't help looking around the crowd searching for his sister.

"Mom!" Raiden's eyes landed on Hikaru and Kaoru who skipped over to their mother. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked over to the commotion.

The woman was standing next to man a little taller than her. He remained quiet.

"It looks very nice," the twins mother said. "The interior looks good also."

Hikaru and Kaoru dragged Haruhi over to their mother. "Look mom, this is Haruhi. We're going to adopt her one day, okay?"

Their mother laughed lightly. She gave Haruhi a good look. She straightened her shoulders and fixed her bow tie. "You should trim your hair," she commented, "did two measure her correctly?" she aimed her question at her sons.

"Of course!"

Kaoru's eyes landed on Raiden who was standing back. "Mom, this is our classmate and he's in the host club too."

Raiden stepped forward and bowed. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Raiden-"

"Moriyama!" their mother finished. "It's nice to meet you. Awe, you have your sister's eyes."

Raiden became confused.

Realizing his confusion she continued, "My name is Yuzuha Hitachiin. Your sister is one of my models. Is she around? I asked her to wear something of mine and I can't wait to see how it looks on her." Yuzuha stretched her head over the crowd.

"She's not here yet. If I see her, I'll let her know you're looking for her."

"Would you? Thank you."

Yuzuha turned back to Haruhi, "be sure to visit us soon. I want you to try some of my designs," she turned to the man next to her, "right, darling? Wouldn't it be nice?"

Raiden stood back in surprise.

Haruhi bumped into him. "That's their dad," she whispered under her breath.

"We're going to the central building now," Yuzuha waved, "see you guys!"

The foursome led the Hitachiin couple out of the room. Once they were well away Haruhi asked, "what does your father do?"

"Oh, he's an executive for a software development company. He married into the family," Kaoru answered.

"We come from a long line of strong women," said the twins, "but since we're shy like our dad we are very worried about our future."

Raiden narrowed his eyes. "Your sarcasm is not appreciated."

Mori and Hani joined them. "We brought cake!" Hani announced.

"They look delicious," Haruhi admitted with a smile.

"10,000 yen each," Hani beamed.

Haruhi's smile dropped instantly.

"Moriyama, Fujioka and Hitachiin, you guys can go on ahead now. I know you have club activities to attend too. We'll take care of things here," the class rep told them.

The group left and headed toward class 2-A's event.

"Hani-senpai, Mori-senpai, are your parents here too?" Haruhi asked. They had been walking through the hallways silently.

"Yeah they're here but they're at the middle school right now too see our little brothers' events."

"Little brothers?"

"I didn't know you had little brothers," Raiden piped in.

Mori nodded.

They arrived at 2-A's area and found it lined with common street fair stalls.

Tamaki ran up to them. "Isn't this great?"

Raiden gaped, "wow."

"Toya! Look, takoyaki! I want some. Oh! Cotton candy. Get me some of that too."

"Reina, if you eat too much you're going to throw up."

Raiden and the others heard the short conversation.

Raiden's ears immediately perked up when he heard his sister's name. He searched around and found her standing in front of a cotton candy stall. He raced over to her.

"Nee-chan!"

She turned around swiftly, "Raiden! You look adorable."

The others followed up closely behind him.

"Look at you guys. You look great. Morinozuka-kun. Haninozuka-kun. I like your costumes. Tamaki-kun," she eyed curiously, "you look weird."

"Rei-senpai," Hikaru pushed past Raiden and eyed her up and down.

"You look amazing," Kaoru finished. "Is this the dress our mother was talking about? Because you look hot."

"Hey!" Raiden pushed them away, "don't talk about my sister that way."

Reina felt her face heat up. Her eyes landed on the floor.

Raiden looked at the dress she was wearing. He had to admit she did look pretty. She was wearing a red short sleeve dress that stopped a few inches above her knee. It had a lace like overlay in a flower pattern. She was even wearing heels, making her taller than her brother.

"Here's your takoyaki," a male voice interrupted.

They stared at the newcomer.

"Oh? Hello," He greeted.

"Toya, this is my brother and his friends," she introduced swiftly. "Toya, this is my brother, Raiden," she wrapped an arm around her brother, "isn't he adorable?"

Toya's eyes brightened and he grinned a wolfy smile. "He is adorable!"

Raiden blushed under his gaze. "Nee-chan…?"

"I work with him," she whispered.

Raiden nodded with understanding.

Toya laid a hand on her elbow, "I'll leave you with your friends. I have to get back to the west gym." He handed over her takoyaki.

"Oh thank you. I'll be over there later. I can't believe you guys remade Venice."

"Well, I took your idea and ran with it," Toya grinned. "I'll see you later. Bye guys, nice meeting you." He gave them a wave before leaving.

Raiden stared after him unconsciously. Reina nudged him in the ridge, interrupting his thoughts.

Reina grinned and then took a bite of her takoyaki. "This festival has been amazing so far. Where are you guys headed?"

"We're headed toward the central salon. Hopefully, we'll find Kyouya on the way. Would you like to join us?" Tamaki offered.

"Sure!" she walked alongside her brother. She handed him her cotton candy and told him he could eat some. He remained silent but took a bite of it anyway.

She finished up her food and threw away the container before speaking to anyone. They walked along the outside corridor of the school. They walked across a corner when a voiced stopped them.

"Hey," Kyouya stopped in front of them. "I was about to look for you guys. Is the carriage ready?"

"Yeah we're going to the courtyard to make the final check right now," Tamaki announced.

"Carriage?" Reina eyed her brother, "you guys have a carriage?"

He shrugged, he wasn't aware of any carriage.

"Grandmother!" Tamaki veered around and walked over to an elegant older woman wearing a kimono. Two assistants followed behind her. "You took the trouble to come today."

Raiden felt his sister gasp beside him. She took a hesitant step back.

"That's Tamaki's-" Haruhi began but was silenced by Hani's hateful tone, "I hate her."

Reina glanced toward him.

"She's a cruel woman."

Reina took another step back but bumped into Mori.

Raiden, Mori, and Kyouya were the only ones who seemed to notice Reina's hesitant movements.

They watched Tamaki reach out to his grandmother. "My club's activities are about to begin, if you'd like-"

"Don't touch me," she seethed. "You're filthy."

Tamaki scratched his head. "I'm sorry I probably smell like food right now.

His grandmother looked at him from the corner of her eye, "even if you bathed you'd still be filthy. It's shameless," she walked past him, "the deserted son of a harlot."

She walked by. The host club and Reina watched her walk by, but Tamaki' grandmother stopped briefly a few feet away as if in passing.

"Moriyama," she said strictly.

Reina stood up straighter. Tamaki's grandmother's eyes landed on her.

"Suoh-sama," Reina breathed as she bowed.

The others looked at her strangely. They couldn't believe she was acting so proper and formal considering what the woman just said to their friend.

"The eldest Moriyama child. Hm? You look quite beautiful today. No surprise there," she said coldly. "Tread lightly now," her voice sounded venomous, "I know my son allowed you lot to return to this school but I won't have you defiling it's name again."

"Yes, ma'am," Reina said quietly.

Tamaki's grandmother left it at that and left.

Reina let out a long breath. Her eyes began to water.

"Reina?" Raiden questioned her. "What is she talking about?"

She shook her head. She gripped her stomach. After a few moments hesitation, she finally looked to her brother. "I'm going to head over to you class now. I heard it was a lot of fun."

"Nee-chan– "

She looked over the others briefly. They all had concerned looks.

"I'll see you later. There are still some other events I'd like to see. Like Sunset Venice. I heard great things about that too."

She took another step back and this time Mori was blocking her. She shook her head again. She turned around and walked away briskly.

"What? What was that all about?" Kaoru asked.

# # #

Reina lifted a piece of food from her plate and placed it in her mouth. She was watching Haruhi and Tamaki make a scene. The people around them whispered behind covered hands and stared. Sometimes she wondered why she would do this again. Why would she let herself be dragged back into the world of the rich and famous?

"Rei-senpai." Kyouya walked up and stood next to her. He followed her gaze and his eyes landed on Tamaki and a disguised Haruhi.

"Have you enjoyed your day?" he asked. He was standing a lot closer than she was used to.

"Oh, very much." She placed her plate onto the tray of a servant passing by. "My brother's class did such a great job in designing and organizing the mysterious. I had a lot of fun over there. Sunset Venice," she gripped his forearm. "It was beautiful. It was like the real thing. Well, I think it was. I've never been to Italy."

"You've never been?" Kyouya asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "Your class did a great job as well, Kyouya-kun. The food was delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

People bumped around them. Their whispered and hushed voices enveloped them like a blanket. She could feel some people's stares landing on her. She even caught a few roving eyes. The fact that Kyouya was standing next to _her_, so close, didn't go unnoticed either.

"Kyouya, I wanted to—"

"Reina, what a pleasant surprise." Kyouya's father appeared next to them. He stood tall and overbearing even though the two teens had at least four or five more inches to him.

"Ootori-san, it's good to see you," she bowed.

"There's no need for you to be so formal with me. I've known you since you were a child," he said lightly.

"Of course, Ootori-san."

"How is your family? Your grandfather, is he well?"

"He's terrific considering his health concerns. Thank you for treating our family so kindly.

"Of course. It is nice to see you out and about as well. It's been awhile."

She aimed a slight grimace to the floor. Kyouya noticed one of her feet tapping at the floor softly.

She moved a strand of hair behind her ear. After a moment, she lifted her face up and stared into The elder Ootori's eyes confidently. "Yes, it's been awhile."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12 - Compatibility Mode Unavail

Rated T for Language

Long Chapter!

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Chapter 12 – Compatibility Mode Unavailable<p>

"Is this a first?" Raiden walked up behind Hani, who along with Mori, stood off to the side while the twins and Tamaki stood as close as possible. Why? Reina's legs were longer than they remembered.

"Reina! Lift your head a little bit please," the cameraman demanded sweetly.

Reina lifted her head slightly. Toya's wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

Haruhi soon joined Raiden and the others. "What's happening?"

"A photo shoot…" Raiden explained simply.

"At Ouran?"

Hani nodded. "Hikaru and Kaoru's mom is having a photo shoot in the garden today. Look, Rei-chan and Toya are over there." Hani pointed to the two teens standing on top a stone bench.

"Is she wearing shorts?"

"Yes! Can you believe that?" Raiden looked on in disbelief.

A few high-pitched giggles from behind them interrupted their thoughts. Kyouya arrived with a group of host club regulars. "I thought it would be a nice change of pace if our guests joined us." Kyouya had a nice smile plastered on his face.

"Of course you did," Raiden muttered.

"Rei-chan looks really pretty, but I think it's too cold for her to be wearing shorts," Hani said with concern.

"Oh my gosh!" some girls squealed. They pushed past the hosts and gathered around Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki. "They look so cool!"

"He's so handsome!" one girl said.

"I can't believe that's Raiden's sister. She looks so different."

Hani and the others joined the rest of their friends.

"Alright, five minute break!" shouted an assistant.

Reina and Toya immediately relaxed. Another assistant ran to Reina with a long wool blanket. She placed it around her shoulders. Toya stood aside, grinning like a wildcat.

"What are you so happy about?" Reina blurted, rearranging the blanket around her shoulders.

"We have a crowd," Toya jested. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her into his chest. "What do you think they'll do if I kissed you right now?"

"My brother would punch you." She nestled closer into his chest.

"Oh yeah? Is there a way I can get close to your brother without it resulting in a punch?"

The hugging teens began to walk over to Hikaru and Kaoru and the group of girls, some of them even squealed.

"I'm going to do it," Toya whispered.

"Don't." She nudged him in the ribs.

"Good afternoon, ladies!" Toya greeted excitedly. Some girls hopped on their feet.

"Hello!"

"Hi!"

"Oh my gosh!"

"Rei-senpai," Tamaki rushed over to her, his voice dripping with concern. "Aren't you cold?"

Reina shuffled her feet in the snow. "I'm very cold," she deadpanned.

"Can't you change?"

"Not unless they tell me too…"

"Nee-chan." Raiden joined his sister and upperclassman. "You look-"

"Great!" Kaoru butted in. "You look great. Different, you know, with the hair and eyes, but you look particularly fierce today." He held a thumbs up.

A wide smile spread across her face. "Thank you."

"Reina-senpai," one of Haruhi's regulars, Sakurazawa, walked over to her. "You look amazing. Your gaze is so chilling."

"Oh?"

"Isn't it?" Toya chimed in, his own smile on his face. "I tell her all the time. She's pretty sexy, isn't she?" He winked.

She pursed her lips and pushed him away. "Shut up."

"What's it like working together?" another girl asked.

Toya placed a hand on his chin.

"It's fun," Reina acknowledged.

"It's more than fun," Toya added. "It's exciting. I get to hang out with my best friend all day."

Some girls giggled.

"Sometimes I get frustrated, but it helps when my partner in crime is so beautiful," Toya teased. He glanced at her quickly.

She rolled her eyes at him.

The girls awed.

"I see you guys everywhere now," another girl pushed in, "doesn't it feel weird seeing yourselves in magazines and billboards?"

"It does actually. I think it might be harder for Toya," Reina wrapped her arm around his. "I use a disguise. He doesn't. I can walk freely through the city and no one realizes it's me up on top of buildings. It's exhilarating."

"I've seen an ad where you two are almost kissing! How did you guys do that?"

"We get it over with and we just kiss." Reina shrugged.

The girls squealed again.

"You've kissed him?!" Raiden's voice overpowered the others.

Toya shot Reina a grin. "I didn't even have to kiss you today to get his attention…"

# # #

"Thank you for allowing us to take photographs on your beautiful campus." Toya and Reina bowed before Yuzuru Suoh, who joined the teens and photo crew in the garden.

They were packed up and ready to go, but they wanted to thank the chairman of the school before they left.

"Hitachiin-san, couldn't join us today," Reina continued, "but she wanted me to extend her thank you as well."

Yuzuru waved it off. "It's alright. I'm glad I was able to help. Plus, it'll allow our wonderful school further spotlight. People all over the country and the world will be able to see these photographs, won't they?" He smiled.

His eyes landed on Reina. "Now, you have grown so much, Rei-kun. What year are you now?" he rested a hand on his hip.

"I'm a third year."

"You're still in high school? You should consider coming back to us." He slapped her in the shoulder and then gripped Toya's shoulder with his other hand.

"We'd love to have you back, you would contribute greatly to our school. Wouldn't she, Toya-kun?"

"Yes, sir. I tell her constantly," Toya stuttered under pressure.

"Oh no. Suoh-san. I'm a terrible student," she tried to brush off the chairman's praise.

"Nonsense!" he patted them on their backs again. "Tamaki-kun! Take care of these youngsters. I'll see you two," he waved and strutted away.

Toya and Reina both sighed.

Tamaki rushed over to his upperclassmen. "What are you two doing for the rest of the afternoon?"

Toya shrugged.

"I have to go back to school," Reina admitted.

"Really? I'll take you back if you want," Toya offered.

She nodded. While she readjusted her jacket, she felt her stomach growl. "Um, maybe we can stop somewhere to eat…and then go back to Lobelia."

Toya smiled. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder again. "You bet. It'll give us a chance to talk about Valentine's Day." They began to walk away from the hosts.

"What? No! I don't want to do anything for Valentine's Day."

"Yes, you do," He teased.

# # #

Raiden walked down the hallway, away from the host club's clubroom. He buttoned up his blazer and then proceeded to pull his coat on. He could hardly believe his sister had modeled outside in this cold. He could hardly believe his sister modeled at all.

"Raiden." A voice surrounded him.

He turned around and found Haruhi staring up at him.

"I've been yelling after you for almost a minute." She fixed her stride next to his.

"Sorry."

"It was nice seeing Rei-senpai. I haven't seen her since Christmas."

"Yeah, she's been busy."

The two teens walked down the pristine staircase leading out of the front entrance.

"Is she studying for final exams as well?"

"Exams and work, I suppose. I actually don't see her much during the week. Not until the weekend."

"Hani-senpai told me her birthday passed. Why didn't we do anything?" Haruhi jumped over a patch of frozen ice on the sidewalk. Raiden walked around it, but held his hand out for support, in case Haruhi needed it.

"I don't know. My brother, sister, and I went to the aquarium in Skytree."

"Her birthday is on new years day," Haruhi stated.

Raiden's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Yes…? How did you – nevermind. Yes. She wanted to go to Kyoto, but I wanted her to stay here. She does what she wants, usually."

"Is that why she models too? She's doing what she wants?"

"I don't know why she models. She's always had a clear aversion for it, but she suddenly started doing it. I'd rather she stop. She meets weird people and she has no protection whatsoever."

"You guys don't have bodyguards like the others," she noted.

The teens reached the entrance to the train station. They walked down two flights of stairs before continuing their conversation.

"No. My grandfather doesn't think we need it."

"Why?"

They passed their transit cards over the electronic readers and quickly walked over to their train platform.

"My family isn't really like Kyouya-senpai's family or even Tamaki-senpai's family."

"What are they like?" Haruhi pushed, clearly interested.

"Well, my grandfather doesn't think it's important for us to have bodyguards because nothing's going to happen to us. My uncle and cousin have guards and personal drivers. They're the heirs to my family's company."

"I thought your sister was the oldest," Haruhi said now clearly confused.

"She is, but…she's a girl."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know." Raiden shrugged. "My family is very old fashioned. I don't even know why they overlooked me, but they established my uncle as the heir and so his son will be the next in line."

"I see. A normal person would be spiteful because of that. Rei-senpai always seems so cheerful."

"She does, doesn't she?" Raiden gazed off, contemplating.

"She seems really close with that Toya guy…"

"I know," Raiden seethed. His mood changed roughly from contemplative to defensive.

Haruhi smirked. "I don't think you have to worry about them. It looks like they're just friends."

"I don't care! I don't want him anywhere near my sister," Raiden threw his hands up in the hair.

"You're really protective of her."

Raiden cooled down a little bit. He returned his arms down to his sides and sighed again. "My sister…is all I have."

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, the host club guests clamored around various magazines, depicting their resident celebrities – Reina and Toya.<p>

"Look at them! They are so perfect together."

"She looks so fierce!"

"He looks so caring!"

"Just look at the way he holds her!"

"Their lips are touching! Do you _really_ think they actually have to kiss?"

Raiden leaned on a pillar next to a wide window. He stared down into the courtyard, trying his best at ignoring the gossip and squeals from the club's guests.

"Raiden." Mori walked over to him. His arms crossed over his chest.

"Mori-senpai?"

"How have you been?"

Raiden leaned away from the wall. He didn't understand his upperclassmen's concern, but he'd acknowledge it nonetheless.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"And Reina?"

Raiden quirked an eyebrow. "She's fine also. She's studying hard for exams."

Mori nodded in understanding.

Mori's and Raiden's attention was interrupted by a large shrill of squeals echoing in the room. They turned around to search for the source.

"I'm sorry I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Toya closed the door behind him.

Kyouya greeted him at the door. "Tsukino-senpai, what can I do for you?"

Toya smiled brightly. His eyes gazed around the room. His eyes landed on Raiden's, excitement spread across his face. "I'm actually here for Raiden. If that's okay with you."

Some more squeals went around the room.

"Really?" Kyouya looked over to Raiden, who was staring back wide eyed and confused. "Sure. Be my guest."

Toya bowed slightly before strutting over to where Raiden was standing. Chatter, gasps, and squeals followed his every step. "Raiden?"

"Yes?" Raiden's jaw dropped. This was the closest Toya has ever been to him and Raiden was beginning to feel nervous.

"Can I talk to you…in _private_?" Toya emphasized.

"Uh…" Raiden stuttered. Mori gave him a slight push.

"Yeah. Sure. We can go in the anteroom."

Toya nodded, waiting for Raiden to lead the way. Raiden walked past tables and groups of girls. Their whispers made him blush. He knew they weren't talking about him, but just walking by made him nervous. He gave Toya a quick glance and found him smiling reassuringly.

Once they reached the anteroom, Raiden closed the door behind them firmly, letting out a long sigh.

"Are they always like that?" Toya walked around the room. Rows of cupboards overwhelmed one wall. He traced a finger across the movable island counter in the middle of the room.

"Usually, especially for Tamaki-senpai. But, it's because you're here."

"Is it really?" Toya's eyes brightened.

"Okay, what do you want?" Raiden crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the closest wall. He tried to hide his discomfort.

Toya seemed to notice. He steadied himself and then jumped onto the counter, crossing his legs at the ankle. "Valentine's Day is coming up," he announced.

Raiden shrugged. "So?"

"So…? I want to do something for Reina."

Raiden cringed at his familiarity. "Why?"

Toya leaned back on his hands. "Because she's my best friend and because she deserves it." he crossed his leg over his knee. "So, you want in?"

"What?"

"Do you want to help me? I was thinking of taking her ice-skating and then maybe lunch or dinner. No movies. That's corny. Do you have any suggestions?"

"What – why?"

"I told you…"

"No. I don't want her going out with you," Raiden snapped.

"Oh really?" Toya hopped off the counter and sauntered over to Raiden. "What? Are you afraid I'm going to steal her away?" he teased.

Raiden glared. "No."

"Then help me out! It's the least we can do."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"You do know what Valentine's Day means…right?" Toya rested an arm above Raiden's head.

"No." Raiden pushed himself further into the wall. He just realized how much taller Toya was compared to him.

"Reina and…Shizuo. It's been a year." Toya breathed, his breath tickling Raiden's forehead. "I just want to distract her. That's all." Toya dropped his arm and returned to the counter, his previous playful mood now lost.

Raiden stared into his back. His Ouran uniform was crisp and well pressed and tailored perfectly. Raiden looked down at his own uniform and began to feel self-conscious. Yeah, he was okay looking but nothing compared to his friends in the other room and not all compared to the man standing before him, who was now giving him a weird look.

"I'll do it," Raiden announced. He straightened his blazer. "I'll help you."

Toya grinned wildly. "Great!"

* * *

><p>"What are they doing here?" Toya looked over Raiden's shoulder to find the host club looking about nonchalantly. It was Valentine's Day, finally, and Toya planned the perfect outing for Reina, Raiden, and himself.<p>

"Uh," Raiden shifted on his feet. "They came on their own. I swear!"

Toya rolled his eyes. He began to fix the collar of his shirt when he felt a cool touch on his arm.

"Toya?" Reina stood next to him, questioning.

"Rei-chan, you look so cute!"

Reina looked down at her peach colored polka dot dress and dark blue tights. She smiled. "Thank you, Haninozuka-kun." She looked over to Toya and eyed him sternly, "I thought it was just going to be the two of us."

"The two of us, plus Raiden…" he explained.

"I'm sorry, Rei-chan," Hani gripped his stuffed bunny closer to his chest, "we didn't know…"

Reina sighed and dropped her eyes to the ground. "Do whatever you want." She turned on her heel and began to walk away.

Toya let out a long breath. He waved to the guys. "Come on." He turned around and jogged after her.

The boys caught up with her, but kept a good distance between her and Toya, who was standing right next to her. He seemed to be having an animated conversation with himself because she wasn't adding anything to the conversation.

"What is wrong with her?" Hikaru whispered harshly.

"I've never seen her like this before," Kaoru added.

"Something must have upset her," Haruhi guessed.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Hikaru offered.

"Nonsense," Tamaki pushed his way through, "it's Valentine's Day, and our friends should not be upset on Valentine's Day. We'll figure it out and help her."

"Here it is!" Toya suddenly announced. Everyone stopped in front of the entrance to an outdoor skating rink. "Huh, huh? You love it don't you?" Toya nudged Reina in the arm. She grinned slightly. He pulled her along toward the rental area.

"Are we…all going ice skating?" Raiden suddenly gulped.

"I'm not. I'm going to sit over there." Haruhi pointed to a bench on the side of the rink and went over to sit down before anyone could object.

Kyouya followed suit. Raiden, the twins, Hani, Mori, and Tamaki were the only ones who followed Reina and Toya onto the ice.

"Careful now, I don't want your families suing mine over damages," Toya chided.

He carefully led Reina onto the ice, who wobbled slightly over the slippery surface.

"If you drop me, _I'll_ sue you for damages."

"Awe, sweetheart, I wouldn't drop you," he nudged her slightly, and nodded his head backward. "Look at your brother. He looks like a puppy."

The models turned just in time to see Hikaru and Kaoru save Raiden from falling on his behind.

Reina giggled. Toya looked on with a warm smile. He slid his hand into hers and began to glide both of them along the ice.

"I know what you're trying to do," she announced, looking to her best friend expectantly.

"Oh yeah? What exactly am I doing?" He humored her.

"You're trying to distract me. I'm fine you know." She squeezed his hand.

He squeezed back. "No, you're not and that's okay."

She slipped suddenly and he caught her swiftly. They stood in the middle of the rink.

"I-"

Toya brought her into a strong hug. She bumped into his chest and brought her arms around him as well.

"You're not alone, okay? You have me and you're really cute brother. You have those other friends of yours, you know…the handsome ones."

She laughed.

He tilted her chin up to get a better look of her face. "Heartbreak hurts and it lasts a long time. I'm not denying that, but I don't want you to stop yourself from being happy. Happiness isn't earned." He placed his hands on either side of her face and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "I want you to be happy."

"Thank you, Toya." Their heartfelt moment was quickly interrupted.

"Nee-chan!" Raiden bumped into the older teens. "I can't do this. I feel like I'm going to fall over." He held onto her arm tightly, his feet moving haphazardly on the ice.

"Raiden, you're going to knock me over!"

"I'm going to fall!"

"I'll help you," Toya said confidently. He took a hold of Raiden's arms and glided him away from Reina. Toya gave her a quick wink and began to show Raiden the basics of ice-skating.

"Rei-senpai," two arms wrapped around her shoulders and a head appeared on either side of her.

"You're quite good on skates," Kaoru mentioned.

"Better than we would have thought," Hikaru added.

"You think?"

"Yeah…I propose a race, Rei-senpai," Hikaru offered.

"Are you serious?" Reina looked around the rink. It was still fairly empty considering it was so early in the morning. There were only a few other people other than the hosts.

"Yeah, whoever wins gets to make the loser do whatever they want."

Reina began to grin. "Okay."

"Alright, go!" The twins sped away from her.

"Hey!" She raced after them. "You didn't set the rules!"

# # #

"You guys are cheaters." Reina leaned against the side of the rink. Haruhi and Kyouya stood on the other side.

"I'm sorry about them, senpai," Haruhi said knowingly.

"Don't apologize for them Haruhi. They're terrible, terrible people."

"Awe, Rei-senpai," Hikaru dropped in next to her. Kaoru dropped in on the other side.

"We won fair and square," said Kaoru.

Reina glared.

"Now," Hikaru leaned into her shoulder, "once Mori-senpai returns, I dare you to call him by his first name."

"Why?"

"Because," Kaoru leaned into her other shoulder. "We want to see what he does."

"Fine," she groaned.

# # #

"It looks like your sister lost," Toya said playfully, pointing toward his friend

Raiden turned in the direction Toya was pointing in, but he moved to quickly and slipped again. Before he could fall, Toya grabbed him, a playful grin plastered on his face. Raiden, embarrassed, took his arm out of his grasp.

"You're really clumsy."

"I – " Raiden stammered.

"It's okay, Reina wasn't very good in the beginning either, but I taught her well." They continued their rounds around the rink. They noticed Reina and the twins trying to coax Haruhi and Kyouya onto the ice.

"How long have you known my sister?"

Toya gave him a sideways glance. "_Really_, really? I've known of her since middle school, probably elementary school, but I didn't actually meet her until I started high school and she was already at St. Lobelia."

"How did you guys meet?"

"Through Shizuo."

Raiden looked up startled.

"I know. Shizuo and I used to model together. When he told me he had a girlfriend, I was surprised. He wasn't the type of guy to settle down with one girl."

Raiden grimaced.

"Oh, not like that no!" Toya quickly defended. "Shizuo was so awkward around girls. I was surprised he was able to get a girlfriend in the first place. So, I knew this girl had to be special. And she was – is. She's special."

"Are you the reason she got into modeling?"

"Sort of…? She came to me about it and I helped her get the job with Hitachiin. I was just starting my work with the company when I brought her along."

They made another round around the rink and noticed this time the Twins and Reina were able to coax Haruhi onto the ice. Tamaki was now standing with them, begging Kyouya to join them.

"You know…your sister was so surprised to hear you were in the host club."

"Really?" Raiden asked in shock. He never suspected his sister had any positive or negative feelings about his association with the host club.

Toya nodded. "She didn't understand why you joined the club so suddenly. So, she started going to the club to find out why."

"She did that because of me?"

"Yeah, well, she did tell me eventually the boys were too handsome to ignore and she liked the attention they gave her," Toya laughed.

Raiden sweat dropped.

"Your sister worries about you and she knows you worry about her," Toya continued.

Raiden looked down at his feet. He moved slowly against the ice being held up by Toya's apparent gravitational pull he had on him. Raiden could literally feel his warmth radiating off of him. Is that why Reina is always clinging off of him?

"You're cute," Toya interrupted Raiden's inner solace.

"What?" Raiden squeaked, causing his already flushed face to turn a darker shade of red.

Toya smirked. "I think your sister is trying to set you up with the wrong person." Toya skated away leaving Raiden with his conflicting thoughts.

# # #

"I'm sore," Reina whined. The teens sat outside the rink, gathering their skates and their belongings. The hosts could tell she was happier than she was earlier. Her eyes were brighter and her voice seemed lighter as well.

"What are we doing next?" Hani bounced in front of her.

"Haninozuka-kun, I didn't know you could skate so well," Reina countered. "You too," she paused looking over to the twins before glancing back at Mori. She gulped, "You too, Takashi-kun."

Mori who wasn't completely off the ice yet, slipped. His arm on the side of the rink was the only thing stopping him from falling completely on the ice.

Hani and Kyouya glanced in her direction while she glared at the twins.

"I almost killed him," she whispered.

The twins shrugged, grins spread across their face.

"Since it's such a large group now, I think I have a great idea on where we should go next," Toya offered.

"Where?" Reina asked, but suddenly felt nervous at the growing smile spreading on her best friend's face.

"Edo Tokyo…!"

"No," Reina groaned.

"Museum! Come on," Toya begged.

"It's Valentine's Day, who even goes to a museum on Valentine's Day?"

"We do!"

# # #

"How did this happen?" Raiden stood in between Kaoru and Hikaru at the entrance of the Edo Tokyo Museum. Toya dragged Reina through the entrance and waited for the others to catch up.

"This is so romantic, Toya," the boys heard Reina tease her friend. They gathered around the models.

"I'm not trying to be romantic. I'm trying to be spontaneous."

"I think you're trying a little too hard…"

"I haven't been to this museum yet," Haruhi noted.

"Really? Lets go look around Haruhi," Hikaru dragged her away. Kaoru jogged after them.

Raiden stared after them, words falling away from his lips.

"Oh, Raiden," Toya stopped in front of him, "there's something I think you'd appreciate. Do you wanna go see it?" Toya looked at him expectantly.

"What is it?" Raiden asked hesitantly, but excited nonetheless.

"You'll see…if you come with me."

Raiden sighed. He shot his sister a pleading look. She shrugged.

"Fine."

"Great! Come on," Toya dragged Raiden away from the group.

"He is trying too hard," Reina muttered.

"What do you mean, Rei-chan?" Hani asked knowingly.

Reina smiled. "Oh, it's nothing." She looked over at the rest of the group. It was just Hani, Mori, Kyouya, and Tamaki, who was silently pouting.

"I think there's something you will all appreciate as well. It's my favorite part of the museum. You want to check it out? Tamaki," she called, gathering his attention, "I think you'll like this especially."

She led them across a large wooden bridge and to a low lit area.

"They're miniatures," she announced, "well, they're a recreation model of Edo Tokyo. Cute, huh?" she led the around a large table with multiple small building and small people.

"They're so cute!" Tamaki squealed.

"Aren't they? It's adorable." Reina gathered around Tamaki and they both pointed at random objects on the table.

Kyouya walked around the exhibit, straying away slightly from his overly excited friends.

Hani dragged Mori toward the other side of the exhibit pointing at something else.

Tamaki leaned closer over one of the small wooden estates. "Rei-senpai?" he whispered.

"Yes?"

"Are you…okay?" He straightened up and looked her in the eye.

"Mostly."

"I'm sorry if we upset you earlier. I thought it would be a good chance to spend time with each other."

"You don't have to apologize, Tamaki-kun," she looked down at the floor, "I was extremely rude. I should apologize."

"You haven't been to the host club in a long while. Is there something upsetting you? If there is, we'll try to help. I promise," Tamaki placed a hand over his heart.

"Can I ask you something?"

Tamaki nodded. Reina looked around and found the others were far enough way that they wouldn't hear.

"What would you do if you were contacted by someone you haven't talked to in almost a year? They weren't angry or spiteful, they just wished you a happy new year and a happy birthday and wished you the best. What would you do?"

Tamaki crossed his arms over his chest, "well, I'd accept the well wishes and wish them the best as well."

"Would you though? What if this person had caused you so much heartache?"

"What did you say?" Tamaki asked, knowing she was talking about herself.

"I did exactly what _you_ said. I wished them the best, but I also told them that I missed them and I think about him almost every day."

"And what did he say?"

"He missed me too. He was excited about his opportunity, but he said he hasn't been as happy as he used to be. And that got me thinking…" Reina sighed. "I've been happy. I'm not happy that he's gone, but I've had moments since he's left, that I was happy."

"There's nothing wrong with being happy, senpai." Tamaki assured her. "Happiness isn't something you can pick and choose. It just happens and isn't great when it does happen? It's a wonderful feeling."

His bright attitude made her smile. "It is, isn't?"

He nodded vigorously. "I love being happy."

She held back tears. "Me too!"

# # #

The host club soon found themselves in one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo to watch the sun set.

Haruhi gasped. "The view is beautiful."

"I hope you're not afraid of heights," Reina giggled, looking down the view from Skytree's observation deck.

Raiden leaned over on the railing. "This is outrageous. It's a miracle I haven't passed out yet."

"If you pass out," Toya dropped himself next to Raiden, "I'll catch you." He winked.

Raiden felt himself blush.

"We made it!" Hani bounded toward them. "It's so high!" He settled next to Reina and Haruhi.

"I'm glad to see you guys made it." Reina eyed the others.

Toya snuck his way to his best friend and leaned forward onto her back, letting his hands rest next to hers on the railing. "Was today good?"

She nodded against his chest. "Today was great."

They all remained silent, staring off into the distance. Skytree allowed a great view of the Tokyo skyline and the setting sun. The twinkling artificial lights of the city were beginning to take over.

The silence was interrupted by two identical chimes. Both Reina and Raiden grabbed their cellphones immediately and opened the message.

"Damnit," Reina snapped. She stepped away from the railing and left the others before they could have any word. Toya jogged after her.

Raiden stared at his phone, contemplating.

"Rai-chan?" Hani walked over to his lower classmen slowly.

Raiden gripped his cellphone tightly. "Everything is going to change now, isn't it?" he said with a sigh.

* * *

><p>"I actually haven't heard from any of them since Valentine's Day," Hani said from atop Mori's shoulders.<p>

"Right?" Kaoru added. "Raiden and I text back and forth, but he hasn't replied to any of mine since we went on break."

"What do you think is happening?" Haruhi asked. "They looked upset when we went our separate ways that day."

"I hope they're okay," Hani said gloomily.

The host club rounded the corner toward the chairman's office and stopped dead in their tracks.

Reina stood next to Raiden and another boy who was shorter and was wearing the middle grade uniform. Reina was leaning over and pinching the boy's cheek.

What surprised them the most was the fact that Reina, who they were so used to seeing in a St. Lobelia uniform, was currently donning a yellow dress and brown Mary Jane's.

"Is that - ?" Haruhi breathed.

When the door of the chairman's office opened, Reina immediately straightened and dropped her hand from the boy's face.

A tall man exited the room followed by the chairman. The man looked strikingly similar to their friend's father. The man spoke briefly to the boy, who immediately walked over to the man's side.

The host club inched closer.

"Everything is settled. Reina," the man gave her a pointed look, "be on your best behavior."

"Of course, Uncle," she said in a low voice.

"Suoh-san. Thank you for all your help. I apologize for the short notice and any problems we may have caused."

"Ichiro, it's no problem," the chairman addressed the man. He dropped a hand on Reina's shoulder playfully. "Reina will be a wonderful addition to our prestigious school."

"Yes, well," the man straightened his tie, ignoring the chairman's comment. "Reina," he eyed her carefully.

Reina moved her eyes from the floor and faced him. "Yes, sir?"

"Best behavior," he seemed to warn.

"Yes, sir." Reina bowed. Raiden followed suit.

He nodded. "Have a good day. Kazuma," He pushed the shorter boy away from the teens and walked away not giving Raiden a single glance.

"Uh, well," the chairman tried to interrupt the awkward air.

Reina and Raiden still stood in front of the door, frozen in their place.

A body pushed their way through the host club, startling all of them.

"Reina," Toya called out. He pushed his way through and once he reached his best friend, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly.

It was only then she noticed the host club standing behind them. "Host club," she whispered, pulling on the hem of her brother's blazer.

He jumped from his reverie and turned around instantly. Finding this their cue, the club finally gathered around the Moriyama siblings.

"Ah, well, now that you're friends are here, I'll just be getting back to work. Have a good day you two." the chairman took a step back into his office and closed the door softly.

"Rei-chan?" Hani asked. "What's going on? We haven't heard from you in awhile."

"We've been busy."

Toya finally dropped his arms away from her.

"You sure were," Hikaru motioned to her uniform, "you enrolled into Ouran without telling any of us."

Raiden began to fish from something in his book bag. Once he found the item, he took it out slowly and handed it over to Tamaki.

"What's this?" Tamaki asked.

"The chairman informed me that we needed to write a formal recognition letter when departing from an activity," Raiden said stiffly.

"What do you mean?"

"It's," Raiden gulped, "my resignation letter. From here on I will no longer be a member of the host club. I apologize for any short notice." Raiden bowed slightly.

"You're quitting the host club?" Hani piped.

Raiden nodded. "I realized my efforts could be concentrated elsewhere."

"Raiden," Reina called. She turned around on her heel and began to walk away without so much as a goodbye.

Raiden and Toya followed closely behind.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading!

What do you guys think of reading about "ouran" high school life?

FYI - Bisco Hatori jumps through seaons in the manga. So if you're confused by this story's timeline that's why...


	13. Chapter 13 - Coming for Blood

Rated T for Language and potential references to sexual themes

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"And the cry goes out

They lose their minds for us

And how it plays out

Now we're in the ring

And we're coming for blood"

- Glory and Gore by Lorde

* * *

><p>Chapter 13 - Coming for Blood<p>

Whispers and rumors quickly spread around the school. The eldest Moriyama child has returned to Ouran. The other rumor - there's been a falling out between Raiden and the host club, which caused Raiden to drop out of the club.

Reina could feel their stares all the way to her own classroom. Toya and Reina dropped Raiden off to his classroom. Thankfully, the twins and Haruhi had not arrived yet. Unbeknownst to them, the host club was just around the corner, again, spying.

"Have a good day," Reina said softly.

Raiden turned stiffly. "Why are you –"

"Have a good day," she cut him off. She began to walk away.

Toya trailed after her.

"He's just confused," Toya explained.

"Of course he's confused." Reina tried to ignore the obvious stares following her every move. She held her book bag firmly in her grasp, as if it was the only thing holding her up.

"Are you confused?" Toya suddenly asked.

"No," she answered. "I know exactly what I have to do."

"But, why?" Toya grabbed her arm and stopped her before she entered her own classroom. Their trek to the third year classrooms was short and brisk, considering Reina had walked so fast. "Why are you doing this?"

"Toya," she breathed. "I have to do this."

"He'll never accept you," he seethed under his breath. "Remember that," he dropped her arm and walked away.

Reina stared after her best friend. She's never heard him sound so cold before.

"Rei-chan?"

Reina's heart immediately dropped. She moved her eyes and they landed on the short blonde. "Haninozuka-kun."

"You're in our class! How great," he said enthusiastically, which surprised her considering how rotten she treated them just in the past hour.

"It seems so," she offered him a small smile.

Mori opened the door and beckoned for both Hani and Reina to walk in. The trio both walked up to the class representatives currently standing in the front of the class.

"Haninozuka! Morinozuka! Welcome back to a new term. I hope you each had a good break," a boy about the height of Reina greeted them happily. His dark eyes landed on Reina and he flushed, "Oh! Are you the new student?"

Reina nodded. "Hello, I'm Reina Moriyama." She bowed quickly.

"Welcome to class 3-A," a girl joined them, knocking the boy away. "My name is Chiyo Nishida. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm one of the class representatives and this –" she motioned to the blushing boy beside her, "is Hajime Ishimoto. He is also a class representative."

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

Chiyo moved a basket into their view. "We're doing something new for this term," she explained. "Instead of sitting in assigned seats we're going to draw numbers randomly and you're going to sit in those seats."

Reina stared down into the basket full of folded pieces of paper.

"It'll all give us a chance to get to know each other better, I think," Chiyo continued.

Reina stuck her hand in first and drew out her paper. Hani and Mori did the same.

"Well, here's to a great spring term!" Chiyo said happily, she moved away from them and onto the next set of student who walked in.

Reina unfolded her paper slowly and backed away into the rows of seats, looking for her corresponding number. The paper led her to the far row right next to the windows, which she was grateful for. She stopped next to the second to last seat in the row.

"It looks like we're sitting next to each other," Hani's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Reina turned around in alarm. She didn't notice they had followed her, but there they were. Mori took the seat next to her and Hani sat down in the seat in front of Mori.

"I can't believe we're going to school together again. It's going to be so nice, won't it, Takashi?"

Mori didn't respond, not that Reina expected him too. She settled down in her seat and began to take her things out.

"Rei-chan?" Hani asked, a little unsure of himself.

She focused her gaze on him, beckoning him to continue.

"Why are you attending Ouran now?"

Reina sighed and dropped further into her chair. "It's a great school, isn't it?" she mumbled.

# # #

Raiden settled down in the seat assigned to him. It was a new term, so new seating arrangements, and maybe even some new friends…? He hoped. After his confrontation with the host club, he doubted they would want to interact with him ever again.

He took his seat next to the window. "I've never sat next to the window before," he whispered to himself.

"First time for everything."

Raiden jumped in alarm and noticed Haruhi take the seat next to him.

"Haruhi?"

Hikaru and Kaoru followed close behind and sat down in the two seats in front of him. Raiden sighed softly and sat down in his seat.

He stiffened in anticipation. He was sure they were going to ignore him mostly and now he's stuck sitting around them for another term. How was he supposed to do it now?

"What the heck?" Hikaru turned around in his seat.

Raiden hit the back of his chair.

"What is going on?" Hikaru continued. "You ignore us during break and then you come back and you quit. What is that?"

Raiden moved his gaze over to Haruhi and then finally Kaoru. They were both staring at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"I had too. My grandfather…wants me to be part of a different club."

"Why?"

"He doesn't want me to train myself to be a waiter…" Raiden trailed off. "He wants me in a sport or culture club. That's why I quit. He sort of makes sense."

"No he doesn't! Why are you letting your grandfather control you?"

"I'd rather go ahead and join a different club then continue to serve tea and food to girls," Raiden spat out without thinking, immediately regretting his actions.

"Then why did you join?" Hikaru asked in a low voice. Kaoru and Haruhi remained silent.

"Because I wanted to be with you! I wanted to be your friends!" Raiden pushed himself out of his seat and ran out the classroom.

# # #

Reina stared up at the menu. How the school could have so many lunch options baffled her. How was she supposed to decide between steak and mashed potatoes or Parisian soup with wafers or Caesar salad with fresh roasted chicken and pomegranates? It was too many options and they were making her head explode.

"Nee-chan," a voice stopped next to her.

Once she caught sight of her brother she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"You should get lunch C," he pointed to the Caesar salad. "It's tame for the first day."

She nodded. She let Raiden walk before her and he ordered their food. They walked to a long clothed table and sat down.

"It looks delicious," she noted.

Raiden nodded.

"I'm sorry, Raiden," she muttered.

He looked up from his salad, a piece of chicken hung from his fork.

"You don't have to do this, you know. This is about me and grandfather. Nothing more. Don't involve yourself." She held a stony gaze.

"Why?" he set his fork down. "Why is it just you and not me or even tou-san? Why is it just you? It's always you."

She lowered her gaze down to her salad and shrugged. She picked up her fork and began to eat, but Raiden knew she was hiding something.

"It's so great seeing you two in the cafeteria," Tamaki sat down next to Raiden, who jumped in his seat.

"Tamaki-kun…" Reina trailed.

"How are you enjoying Ouran so far?" Tamaki asked. His usual cheerful demeanor still very present.

Reina felt someone next to her and found Kyouya settling down in the seat next to her and across from Tamaki. He eyed her curiously, as if he wanted to know the answer as well.

"Oh, um. It's different."

"Really? How so?"

"Well," she giggled slightly.

"What is it?" Tamaki inched closer.

"For one, there's boys here."

Raiden snorted.

"…lot's of cute boys…" Reina trailed away and hid a laugh in her hands.

"That's it?" Kyouya suddenly asked.

"No. Well, everyone seems very friendly. Very…forward," Reina tried to choose her words carefully. "Big. This place is so big and beautiful," she breathed the last part. "It's very beautiful here and peaceful."

Tamaki grinned and Reina couldn't help smiling back. Moments later they were joined by their friends. The rest of the host club sat down on Tamaki and Kyouya's side. Haruhi, on one of her rare ventures to the cafeteria, sat down next to Raiden, which he felt grateful for.

Toya suddenly dropped down next to Reina. She jumped in surprise causing her to bump into Kyouya who also jumped slightly, but hid it better than she did.

"You scared me," she shoved her best friend in the shoulder.

"Sorry," he pouted. "So," he looked down at her lunch, "does this mean we can finally have lunch together like old childhood friends and share gossip? I'll go find us a rooftop to claim as our own. The year is still early. I can do that."

She was giving him a strange look, but her eyes immediately brightened at the word, roof. Raiden kicked her leg from underneath the table. "Don't even think about it," he warned.

She began to pout.

Toya leaned against the table, "hey host club," he greeted the others. "Excited for a new school year?"

Haruhi nodded. Raiden did as well out of habit. Reina simply shrugged.

"Of course," Kyouya replied verbally.

"Hey," Toya nudged Reina in the ribs, "did you go to the club fair this morning?"

She nodded.

"Did you find anything interesting…you know, like calligraphy?" He moved his eyebrows up and down.

"Nope," she took another bite of her salad.

Toya's shoulders drooped.

"I saw it," Raiden blurted.

Toya stared at him with excitement. "And? You gonna join?"

"No. I saw it. That's all."

Toya's shoulders drooped again. "Are you going to be joining any clubs at all?"

"I might join the gardening club or ikebana. I haven't decided yet," Reina answered.

"Gardening?" Kyouya looked over to his upperclassmen.

"Yes, I like to garden."

Kyouya shrugged.

"How about you, Raiden?"

Raiden glared at Toya's familiarity. "I did soccer while I was in elementary school and junior high, so I thought I might join something competitive. Archery, maybe?"

"Ooh! That'd be so cool," Reina squeaked.

"Rai-chan?" Hani grabbed their attention. "You used to play soccer?"

"Oh, yeah. Soccer was my life," he disclosed, to the surprise of the others, he caught the twins eyes and immediately dropped his own, "but I was injured in middle school and now I can't play something strenuous like soccer."

Their chatter settled down.

"It's our last year in high school," Toya noted, catching Reina's eye. "We have to make the best of it, don't we?"

# # #

Raiden walked beside Haruhi back to their classroom, which he was grateful. He parted ways with his sister at the cafeteria. Reina had walked off with Toya and he was walking away by himself, but Haruhi caught up to him, she didn't seem to want to stick around for the impromptu meeting the hosts were having in the middle of the hallway.

"Haruhi?"

"Yeah?"

He stumbled for words. "Um, what are your electives for this term?"

"I think I want to take home economics."

"What? Really?" He looked at her confused. "Don't you know how to cook?"

"Yeah, but there's no harm in learning new things."

Raiden shrugged.

"What about you?"

"Home economics," Raiden muttered.

"I'll guess we'll be in the same class then."

"Haruhi?" Raiden stopped her before entering their classroom. "You don't, you don't have to do this."

"Do what?" she questioned. "Be your friend?"

Raiden looked down at his feet.

"I'm still your friend, regardless of whether you're in the host club or not. I just won't see you all day now. But, if you don't want to be friends anymore, I understand."

"I want us to be friends. I want to stay friends with everyone."

"Then, we will. Don't worry."

"Thanks, Haruhi."

They returned to their seats. Once he settled down, Raiden turned his attention to the scenery outside. He was glad Haruhi wanted to stay friends. He was glad the others would remain his friends.

He felt more than saw Hikaru and Kaoru take their seats in front of him. He sighed. Deep down he knew, after today, some things were not going to go back to normal. He relaxed in his seat and went back to what he's so used to doing, imagining things he wish would happen, but never will.

# # #

He parted ways with Haruhi for the first time in a long time. She walked away toward the host club while he walked down the stairs to the archery dojo. He turned around a corner more quickly than he anticipated and bumped into someone causing this someone and himself to fall to the ground in a large sprawl.

"I'm sorry!" Raiden sat up. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, it's all good," Toya's voice rang like silk. Silk? Raiden instantly groaned.

"You must've fallen out of heaven because-" Toya began to recite.

"Don't," Raiden groaned again.

Toya lifted his hands in defeat. Raiden rose to his feet and brushed himself off before offering a hand to help Toya up.

Toya rose slowly and brushed himself off dramatically, letting his hands pat down his arms and legs firmly.

"Why are you always here?"

"What do you mean?" Toya rested a hand on his hip, a playful grin marring his features. "I attend this school you know."

"Whatever," Raiden walked past him.

"Where are you off too?" Toya jogged to catch up to him.

Raiden kept his gaze straight ahead. "Archery," he finally said. "I'm heading over to the archery club."

"Oh? So you decided on archery. That must be exciting. If I didn't take up calligraphy I totally would have done archery. I think I have the right physique," Toya motioned his hand over his body.

"Right…"

"Why didn't you consider joining calligraphy?" Toya followed Raiden out the building and to the boy's locker room. "Reina wouldn't dare join, but she said you have a passion for history and have patience. You would've known at least someone, but instead you choose a club you're not familiar with at all."

Raiden stopped suddenly and turned to face his upperclassmen. "I don't know you at all."

"Ah, well," Toya rested both hands on his hips and leaned forward, "if you had joined, we would've gotten to know each other a lot better, wouldn't we?"

Toya straightened himself out before making Raiden any more uncomfortable. He didn't want that. "I'll let you go, I suppose. Have fun. I'll see you around," Toya turned on his heel and gave a backward wave, leaving Raiden to his thoughts.

Why is he so strange? Raiden rolled his eyes instinctively.

# # #

_Represent me. Be good. Represent me. Be good._

"He's so selfish," Reina muttered to herself. She was sitting on a bench across the way from the archery club's practice area. She could still hear the sounds of arrows whizzing by and loud 'thunks' of those same arrows hitting their targets, but she couldn't actually see the archers. She wondered how her brother was doing.

She swung her feet back and forth. "I'm selfish too," she muttered to herself.

Deep down, she hoped he would continue with archery anyway. He needed something to occupy his time and he would look super adorable in competition wear, in her honest opinion.

While she imagined the various boys she'd see at her brother's competition, Mori took the time to sneak up on her.

Well, he didn't really sneak up on her, it was more he walked toward her and she was so zoned out she didn't realize he was there.

"Reina."

Reina jumped in her seat and blushed at the sight of Mori standing before her. He looked as if he just got out of kendo practice. Beads of sweat were rolling down the sides of his face and he was still wearing his practice clothes.

Reina leapt from her seat. "Mo, Morinozuka-kun. Hey…" she stammered.

He continued to stare.

"I'm waiting for my brother," she explained, answering his unasked question. Her eyebrows immediately began to knot together in confusion. Why did she need to explain herself?

"Ah," he answered with a nod.

"Off to the host club?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

"That's great…" she scratched the back of her head. Noticing her actions, she dropped her hand immediately.

"Why did Raiden quit?" he asked suddenly.

She balked. "What?"

"Did you make him quit?" He continued.

She shook her head. "I didn't make him do anything. But, no, it wasn't his decision." She wrapped her arms around her waist and ignored his steel gaze.

They remained silent for a few moments before Reina finally said, "I'm working on it."

His eyebrows rose in question.

"I'm selfish," she went on. "He can be selfish too, but how he decided to do this, wasn't selfish at all."

She looked everywhere else except his eyes. "He's confused about a few things, but I wanted this to be his decision." She let out a long sigh. "We've been really awful friends. I'm sorry."

"You took us by surprise," he told her.

Her tone of voice changed. "I'm so sorry, but I have to do this."

He nodded. He left before either of them said another word. Reina dropped back down into her seat and waited for her brother.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you'd like. Extended author note on my tumblr.


	14. Chapter 14 - Will the Truth Run Free?

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"This never ending story, paid for with pride and fate

We all fall short of glory, lost in ourselves

No I'm not saying, I'm sorry

One day, maybe we'll meet again."

- Closer to the Edge by Thirty Seconds to Mars

* * *

><p>Chapter 14 – Will the Truth Run Free?<p>

Reina sat quietly in her seat and listened to her brother speak emphatically about the new club he joined. It was one week into the new term, but he remained excited.

"It's been a long time since I've been on a team sports club, you know?" Raiden leaned on her desk with his elbows. He sat in the desk in front of her own, disregarding the student who usually sat there. Reina hardly paid attention to who sat where and paid no mind to it either.

"Visitors aren't allowed in the dojo are they?" Reina took a bite of her melon pan she bought from the bakery around the corner from their house.

Raiden shrugged. "I don't think so. Why would you…? Never mind. I know why." He remembered his sister's boy crazy antics. "The first competition is next month, you should come," he offered.

"Okay!" she finished her breakfast quickly. "I've never been to an archery competition, but they seem very exciting. I've always wanted to see kendo too."

"Really?" Raiden piped up. "Um," he paused, "Mori-senpai is the junior kendo champion and captain of the kendo club. I'm sure he'll tell you their competition schedule if you asked."

"I've never thought of asking Morinozuka-kun..."

"Rai-chan! Rei-chan!" Hani bounced into his seat. Mori walked up from behind and sat down in his own seat as well.

"Oh no! Is class going to start soon? I have to go!" Raiden rushed to pick up his book bag. He began to sprint out of the room, but stopped suddenly and turned around. "Oh, good morning Hani-senpai, Mori-senpai." He bowed and then resumed sprinting out of the room and out of sight.

Reina set out her notebooks and pencils, ready for class to begin. A tall boy bumped into the desk in front of her and sat down.

"You did that on purpose!" Another boy walked past and slapped the boy in the shoulder.

"It was a friendly game. It's your own fault you lost so badly," the boy turned to face behind him, but stopped once he saw Reina staring at him.

"Oh, hey. Morning." He turned back around in his seat with a huff. He was breathing heavily and from Reina's position he seemed to be sweating.

She began, "what were you-"

"So do you remember me?" His large hand slammed on top of her desk.

"What?"

"Do you remember me? Last time you clearly didn't know who I was, but come on now. It's been a few days. Do you remember me now?" he looked at her with bright eyes, a light shade of brown. His hair even stuck to his forehead.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she mumbled.

Mori's eyes switched between the two, confused. Had they interacted before and why didn't he noticed?

"What?" He sounded frustrated. "How do you not remember me? We were like this when we were kids." He lifted his hand to show off his forefinger and middle finger tightly intertwined.

Hani giggled from his seat. "I don't think she's going to remember you, Chisaka. You look so different from when we were in elementary school and I don't think you two were that close."

"Yeah, but. I mean…you almost bit my finger off…"

"What?!" Reina squealed.

"Moriyama!" The teacher just entered the room and called the class to attention. He dropped his briefcase onto his desk. "What is the meaning of this?"

Reina groaned. "I'm disillusioned. I may have been a cannibal when I was a child."

# # #

Raiden dropped himself down in his seat just in time for class to begin. Haruhi leaned over and whispered, "Where have you been?"

"I was with my sister," he whispered back. He snatched a notebook from his book bag and grabbed a random pen.

Hikaru and Kaoru were already seated in front of him having a heated discussion about something.

Raiden's eyes briefly scanned over Kaoru's figure. Kaoru suddenly smiled brightly at something his brother said. His smile made Raiden's stomach flutter. He looked away quickly before he was caught staring.

A week has passed since Raiden officially quit the host club and he already felt like an outsider. An outsider looking in – he knew they didn't mean it, but it was inevitable. He didn't spend every school hour with them anymore.

After the first day, the host club returned to their usual selves. Honestly, they never treated him or his sister any differently, but he knew, deep down, they were questioning their abrupt decision. Reina never said she wasn't going to visit anymore, but she hasn't since she arrived at Ouran.

Their teacher entered the room and started the lesson, but Raiden couldn't force himself to pay attention. He kept thinking about the host club and Kaoru. Would Kaoru distance himself from him now that they didn't hang out after school? Or why does he suddenly feel an ache in his gut every time he thought about what the host club was doing without him?

Before he realized, lunch period began.

"Raiden?" Haruhi turned in her seat.

"We'll see you guys in a bit," Kaoru waved at them. Hikaru offered a wave before they both set off to the cafeteria.

Haruhi watched them leave before turning her attention back to her friend. She opened her bento box, offering him a rice ball.

He waved it off. "I'm fine. I brought my lunch today." He brought out his own bento box.

She nodded in understanding. "How is archery going?"

He choked suddenly on his rice ball.

"Oh, Haruhi. It's so cool! I'm doing a lot of errands and running around and stuff, but it's so exciting. I practice after my upperclassmen, but the captain thinks I have potential. Can you believe that?" he stared at her expectantly, "Potential! I'm so glad I joined."

She smiled at his enthusiasm.

Raiden suddenly realized what he said. "Not that I regret being part of the host club."

"I know what you meant, Raiden."

"Do you think Hikaru and Kaoru are angry? Because of what I said?"

"You were frustrated. We all know that. And you had a point, why would you want to be a waiter for the rest of your high school career? I wouldn't want too."

"So…they're not? You're not angry?"

"No. Far from it. It is a little weird without you around. I'd forgotten all the work being a host entails," Haruhi laughed at her own comment. "You and Rei-senpai should come by any way. It'll be nice to see you again at the club. I want to know what it's like from the customer's perspective so come by and tell me how it was."

"What?" Raiden sputtered on his juice. "I'll ask my sister I suppose."

Haruhi nodded happily.

Raiden sighed. "You know, I actually miss being in the host club."

Haruhi dropped a slice of orange back into her bento. "Really?"

Raiden set his bento on his desk. He poked his chicken dumpling with his chopsticks. "I miss the host club. I never realized how invested I was, being in that club. I had my own reasons for joining, I'll be honest, but I guess that changed."

He turned to face her. "You guys became my friends. I wanted to be your friend, yes, but being part of the host club, I was part of a larger group of friends again. It's been so long since I've had more than one friend. It was nice and I took advantage of it. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

Raiden shrugged. "Maybe I should be thanking you," Raiden moved closer to Haruhi's seat, "Thank you, Haruhi, for being my friend. You guys were like my family."

# # #

Reina leaned heavily on her hand. She stared out the window and briefly wrote notes here and there. She wanted to stab her pencil into the person who made literature mandatory to graduate from Ouran. The new term barely started and she wanted to cry. She didn't want to read another word.

The boy who sat in front of her, who she learned was named Chisaka, rested his head on his desk and she swore he let out a snore every now and then, but would then briefly wake up at the sound of his own vibrations. He was currently holding his head up with both of his hands.

A rogue pencil began to roll off her desk, before she had a chance to catch it, it continued and took a plunge off her desk. She sighed and reached down to retrieve it. What she didn't realize was her kind classmate sitting next to her also leaned down to retrieve said pencil.

Their heads collided with a large knocking sound. Reina felt her brain jiggle around in her skull.

"Ow!"

Their literature teacher sighed upon seeing the commotion. "Alright, class dismissed." He left before he could be dragged into any complaints.

Their classmates looked around and found Reina gripping her head in pain. Mori sat with his head in his hand. Laughter and chuckles passed around the room. Some merely shook their heads at their classmate's silliness.

"Are you okay, Rei-chan?" Hani asked innocently.

"That hurt…" she whimpered

Chisaka barked with laughter from his seat. She shot him a glare.

"That's what you get for not remembering me," he teased. He swept his notebooks and pens into his book bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Machida! Locker room, ten minutes!" he called out, jogging out of the classroom.

"Do you want to hold, bun-bun?" Hani asked handing his stuffed rabbit over.

"Sure," Reina took hold of the rabbit and squeezed it tightly. She rested her head on top of the rabbit's, snuggling into it's softness.

"You okay, Takashi?"

"I'm fine." He gave his head one final rub before letting out a silent sigh.

"Ne, Rei-chan? You should come to the host club today. It's been awhile." Hani offered.

"Huh?" Reina lifted her head from the rabbit. "Host club? Actually, Raiden told me Haruhi invited him over. I guess…I could tag along."

"Great!"

She passed back his stuffed rabbit wordlessly and started to put her things away. Mori handed her pencil back. She murmured a quick thank you and blushed when their fingers touched. She removed her hand quickly and dropped her pencil into her book bag.

Both teens waited until she was ready. She took a long breath and then looked at them, "Okay. Ready."

Hani climbed onto his cousin's back. "Rei-chan, have I told you how cute you look in the girl's uniform?"

She glanced over to him and found both him and Mori staring down at her. She looked away quickly, a fresh blush dusting her cheeks. "Yes, you've mentioned it once or twice." She smoothed out her yellow colored uniform.

"Oh? Well, you look cute. Doesn't she, Takashi?"

She pretended to move a strand of hair away from her face and behind her ear, but was really trying to get a look at Mori. He looked straight ahead, but nodded in agreement.

Hani began to hum happily.

# # #

"The door's locked?" Raiden asked.

Haruhi jiggled the doorknob. "I'm not usually the first one. This is weird."

"Excuse me."

Raiden and Haruhi turned to find a brown haired middle school student standing before them.

"Are you part of this club?" the boy asked.

Haruhi nodded.

The boy fixed the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. "I'm looking for Mitsukuni Haninozuka."

"Oh, um. He's not here yet. He might still be in class or at the kendo hall," Haruhi explained.

"Chika!"

The trio turned to find Hani waving ecstatically from Mori's shoulders. Reina was walking beside them.

"Hey, Chika! You hardly ever come to the high school section."

"Mitsukuni. Prepare yourself!" The boy threw a wide kick at Mori's shoulders.

Reina screamed and hid behind Mori, gripping his blazer. "What is going on?"

Hikaru and Kaoru suddenly appeared next to Haruhi and began announcing the fight taking place between the two.

"Do we stop them?" Raiden asked, his eyes widening at the sight. The younger boy brought out a weapon. "Is this allowed?"

"Ooh," Tamaki arrived with Kyouya. "It's been awhile since they've done this."

Kyouya looked on and let out a frustrated sigh. "Couldn't they have chosen a better place?" Kyouya noticed Reina's place behind Mori and eyed her curious position.

"Why aren't you doing something to stop this?" Haruhi stammered.

Chika whacked at Hani one last time throwing him across the hall.

"Did Chika finally win for the first time?" Hikaru announced.

"No. Mitsukuni won," Mori said flatly.

They all looked down at the middle school student's feet. His pant legs were pinned to the floor with shuriken.

"Shuriken?" Reina stared wide-eyed. "Maybe, I should have stayed at Lobelia," she muttered. "This is crazy."

"I'm confused," Haruhi mumbled. "Who is he?"

"Can't you tell?" Tamaki replied. "That's Hani-senpai's younger brother, Yasuchika Haninozuka."

"Oh!"

"What? No way." Raiden was confused as well.

"Chika!" a new voice echoed through the hallway. A dark haired teen ran down the hallway. "How dare you skip out on club activities?" He swung a wooden shinai and knocked Yasuchika away.

"Satoshi," Mori said calmly, grabbing the young teens attention.

The newcomer spun around. "Huh? Taka bro!" Satoshi stopped in front of his brother and stared up at him admiringly. "How has your day been so far? Are you going to kendo right now? I'm on my way there too."

"And this is Mori-senpai's younger brother," Tamaki explained to Haruhi and Raiden.

"Satoshi-kun, you've grown so much," Reina squeaked at the younger Morinozuka.

Satoshi's eyes landed on Reina. "Rei-senpai! You look beautiful." He pulled her into a tight hug, taking her off guard. "Takashi told me you entered Ouran. How are you liking it?"

# # #

"I'm sorry. I thought Yasuchika was skipping out on club. Sorry about the bruise, Chika." Satoshi sat down on a couch next to a brooding Yasuchika.

"I'm sorry for bothering you upperclassmen. Wow, this tea and cake are absolutely delicious."

"Yasuchika, do you want some cake?" Tamaki offered.

"I don't like anything sweet, understand?" Yasuchika continued to brood.

Satoshi hit him again with his shinai.

Reina scooted back to stand next to her brother.

"I recently found out they had younger siblings," Raiden said to her, "but I didn't expect them to be like this." He mentioned to his sister.

She offered him a brief smile. "What would you expect? Raiden, you're nothing like me."

"I am too."

A look of derision spread across her face. She shook her head. "No."

He shrugged. "Wait, how do you know them?"

"I," she stopped, returning her attention back to the middle schoolers, "I'm pretty sure I met them at the school festival."

"And they know you…I'm confused."

"It's okay," she reassured him.

"Satoshi, it's okay if he doesn't want cake," Tamaki held up his hands. Yasuchika was on the floor once again.

"No!" Satoshi belted, "Luxury is not allowed. We, Morinozuka have served the Haninozuka for hundreds of years. It's my duty to not let Yasuchika grow up to be a spoiled brat. It's for his own good."

"What about the Haninozuka heir?" Hikaru and Kaoru pointed at Hani.

"Oh, Mitsukuni? He's okay because my brother never makes mistakes. Taka is the pride and joy of the Morinozuka family…"

Reina and Raiden began to giggle amongst themselves.

"Satoshi really adores his brother, doesn't he?" Reina held a hand to her cheek.

Raiden nodded in agreement.

"Do you adore me?" She looked at him, beady-eyed.

"Not the same way he obviously looks up to his brother."

Reina began to pout.

"What? Oh geez."

"I'm just teasing," she wrapped herself around his arm. They suddenly felt the atmosphere in the room thicken and returned their attention back to the others.

"You can't just do something like that! It's irresponsible. You quit karate club over a year ago. You can't just go back for the fun of it!" Yasuchika yelled.

Both Reina and Raiden were taken aback.

"Even though we're a noble family. We, Haninozuka, have been exceptionally brilliant in the martial arts. We use every kind of martial art. We learn and use them to create our own individual style," Yasuchika explained.

"It's every male member's duty to learn karate and judo and our own Haninozuka style. We must fight upon seeing one another so we're constantly on guard."

Yasuchika gripped his hands together. "Mitsukuni, you're very strong, but the basic principle of our style is to throw away ego and achieve selflessness. You've caved in to your selfish desires. You have no right to bear the Haninozuka name! I will not recognize you!"

Reina gasped, shocked by Yasuchika's harsh words.

Satoshi hit him again with the shinai. "That's not the way to talk to your older brother," he scolded. He began to pinch his cheeks.

"Satoshi!" Chika began to tear up. "You're stupid. Stop!"

"You're the one being wrong!"

Yasuchika sobbed. "You didn't have to get this mad…" Yasuchika began to wipe away tears at a furious rate. He ran for the door. "I've warned you, Mitsukuni! And stay away from me in school!"

"Yasuchika! What did you say?" Satoshi began to run after him. "Oh!" He stopped in front of Reina and gave her another quick hug. "It was great seeing you! Come by the house when you're free. Chika!"

Reina let out a sigh but stared after the boys nonetheless.

"Hani-senpai?" Haruhi walked over to the third year. "Are you okay?"

"I guess this means Chika hates me now…" Hani said darkly.

Tamaki pointed to the left over cake, "Hani-senpai, what should we do with this cake?"

"I'll eat it!" Hani said enthusiastically and devoured it without reserve, completely reversing his mood.

"Nee-chan? Are you okay?" Raiden asked, noting his sister's downcast expression.

Reina gulped and then nodded. "I'm fine. Um, I have to go."

"What? Rei-chan, no, stay," Hani began to plead.

"No. I need to get something done. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Raiden," she gripped his shoulder. "I'll see you at home."

She scampered toward the door, her cellphone out in the palm of her hand.

Raiden stared after her. Tamaki dropped his hand onto Raiden's shoulder, making him jump, "do you want to help us on our newest mission? Reconciling the Haninozuka brothers?"

# # #

"Wow, I haven't been to the middle grade section in ages." Raiden gazed around the crisp buildings. He noticed the fresh green grass on the soccer fields and the sidewalks littered with cherry blossoms.

"Do you miss being in middle school?" Haruhi suddenly asked.

Raiden gave her an exasperated look. "I hated middle school. The only thing I enjoyed was soccer and even that ended for me."

"Middle school couldn't have been that bad," Haruhi assumed.

"I suppose, but for me, middle school was terrible."

The host club and Raiden peered into the karate club dojo and watched Yasuchika's actions with his club members.

"Why?" Haruhi continued.

Raiden shrugged. "Bad memories I guess."

Tamaki glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"He has an inferiority complex," Kaoru commented.

They observed the younger Haninozuka's obvious discomfort with being compared to his older brother.

"This is boring," Hikaru shot his brother a knowing look and they both proceeded to skip away.

"What?! Stop, you can't go! Mommy," Tamaki began to plead, pulling on Kyouya's sleeve. Kyouya slipped him off.

Raiden smiled at Tamaki's shenanigans. Raiden suddenly began to wonder why Tamaki called Kyouya 'mommy' and the others by familial titles as well. He never really questioned it before.

"Probably from being compared to Hani-senpai so much," Haruhi offered "Especially since they look alike. Chika, his eyes are fine, but he wears those glasses anyway to look different."

"Inferiority complex?" Raiden questioned, returning to the subject at hand. "Do you think there's a deeper reason though?" he asked out loud.

"It's okay if Chika hates me," Hani announced solemnly. "As long as he grows up well and healthy, I'm happy." Hani stared off into the distance.

"Awe, Hani-senpai. That's nice of you to say." Raiden offered, trying to appease him.

"It's what older siblings want for their younger siblings," Hani sniffled.

Raiden was taken aback by his words. "What?" He stared into Hani's blank look. "It's what older siblings want?" he whispered to himself. His sister's annoying smirk and Akihiko's lopsided grin immediately came to mind.

"Excuse me…"

They all turned around to find Yasuchika staring at them calmly. "Can you keep it down? You're disrupting practice." Yasuchika's eyes landed on his brother. "Mitsukuni, I warned you not to come near me at school. Defend yourself!" Yasuchika threw a kick.

"Yasuchika! No goofing off during practice," Satoshi grabbed at him. Yasuchika began to fall, but Hani immediately tried to lessen his fall with his stuffed rabbit.

"No!" Yasuchika kicked Hani away.

# # #

"The people here are so crazy," Raiden muttered. He sat down next to Yasuchika and Satoshi in the waiting area of the infirmary. Hani was lying in a bed with a light concussion, from being kicked away by Yasuchika.

Yasuchika began to mouth off about cakes and aliens. Raiden ignored his strange chatter and began to think to himself.

Hani and Yasuchika didn't seem that close, but Hani was okay with his younger brother mouthing off to him, as long as he was happy and healthy. He wondered where Hani had gotten that idea. These rich families were so weird, he settled.

"Raiden-senpai?"

Raiden jumped in surprise and turned toward the voice. Satoshi was sitting with his hands gripped tightly in his lap and grinning widely.

"Not used to being called 'Raiden-senpai'?" Satoshi moved closer. "I've heard a lot about you from Taka-kun."

"Mori-senpai?"

Satoshi nodded. "Taka talks about his friends a lot and you and Rei-senpai."

"How do you know my sister again?"

Satoshi rocked back and forth in his seat. "I met her officially last November, at the school fair. She came by the middle school. But Taka mentioned her before that. It was fun meeting her the first time."

Raiden thought back. Today was the first day Reina ever mentioned knowing the younger Morinozuka and Haninozuka. Why didn't she tell him before?

"It was so funny. She saw Chika first and immediately recognized him. She walked up to me to ask who he was and you should have seen her face, but she looked at me as if I'd grown another head. All she said was, 'Morinozuka'," he said the last part in a short whisper. "We both yelled and we've been friends ever since. Well sorta," He began to laugh and gave his head a good scratch.

Satoshi suddenly jumped from his seat and took a hold of Yasuchika. "Chika, you gotta calm down!"

Once Yasuchika settled down slightly, Satoshi noted, "You're being too neurotic right now. If I set my mind to it, I'm sure I could eat two whole cakes by myself."

"What are they talking about?" Raiden felt completely lost. Now, from what he understood, Yasuchika was uncomfortable with the fact that Hani can eat three whole cakes in one sitting.

Raiden found Yasuchika's attitude humorous. Yes, he might have an inferiority complex, but he was unnerved by Hani's eating habits. Yasuchika actually admired Hani for his skills, even though he didn't agree with how he was occupying his time.

Raiden tried to think of something that annoyed him about his own siblings. Akihiko hardly did anything that made him cringe. Sometimes when Akihiko wears his glasses they sit on his nose crookedly. That annoys him, but that was hardly a problem.

When it came to Reina, sometimes she could be overly childish and dumb. However, he thought, she had a serious nature she tried to hide with her childishness. She wasn't naturally carefree and spontaneous. She just tried to be. Maybe that was it. That's what annoyed him. The way she pretends to be someone she wasn't.

"Raiden." Mori stopped in front of the still seated teen.

"Huh?"

"Mitsukuni and Yasuchika are going to fight. Are you coming?"

"Oh, yeah!"

# # #

"That's sad isn't?" Raiden said, mostly to Haruhi.

"That he would beat his own brother for cake…yes. I think so, but all these people are weird. I'm not surprised anymore." Haruhi responded.

Raiden shook his head.

"Do you know where Rei-senpai went off too?" Haruhi asked. They were all making their way back to the club room.

"I have no idea."

"I'm going to stop by the market on my way home, do you want to tag along?" Haruhi offered.

"Sure." Raiden picked up his book bag, which was loosely thrown onto a random couch. "I have dinner duty this week anyway. My sister is trying to make me cook more. It's annoying."

"Really? Are you any good? Are the home ec classes paying off?"

"Barely! I'm better than my sister. She loses her patience. It's actually kind of funny. The only thing she really knows how to make is okonomiyaki and…you can get tired of that after a while."

"Why do you have cooking duty?" Hikaru butted in. "Why doesn't your dad or mom do it?"

Raiden stiffened slightly. His eyes trailed down to the floor. "My father is always busy. He's a doctor you know and well, I don't live with my mom so…"

"You don't live with your mom?" Kaoru asked. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't know that."

"It's not something I announce to the world," Raiden trailed.

"Why don't you live with her?" Hikaru continued.

"I thought you did," Kaoru added.

"Boys! Don't bombard him with questions!" Tamaki scolded. "That is no way to treat your friends." Tamaki offered him a small smile.

"Raiden, let's go." Haruhi changed the direction of the conversation, much to Raiden's relief. Haruhi and Raiden left the room without saying goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Leave a review.

What do you guys think of perspective kissing scenes? I'm definitely planning a Raiden x ? scene. But do you guys want to see a Reina x ? scene as well?


	15. Chapter 15 - Dreams Aren't Always Sweet

Rated T for Language

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"You're the only friend I need

Sharing beds like little kids

Laughing till our ribs get tough

But that will never be enough."

- Ribs by Lorde

* * *

><p>Chapter 15 – Dreams Aren't Always Sweet<p>

"What are you looking at?"

Kaoru jumped at Raiden's voice. Raiden shot him a confused look, but sat down in his seat, noting the absence of Hikaru and Haruhi.

"Is that photography?"

Kaoru nodded. "I wanted to look into how to use a DSLR camera and some techniques. I printed some papers out from the library this morning."

"That's cool. I didn't know you were interested in photography." Raiden set his book bag on his desk and began to take out his supplies slowly, relishing in the fact that he and Kaoru were sharing a private conversation.

"I'm not. Well not really, but ever since we went and took those shots for your sister I started to get interested."

Raiden's attention piped up. "Really?"

Kaoru nodded. He turned in his seat to face his friend. "I don't know if you know this, but Rei-senpai sent me an email a few weeks after, showing me what she did with the photos. She's talented."

"She sent you her photographs?"

"Yeah, some from the stuff we took and some of her other work. She's a hobbyist, she admitted to me, but she's really good nonetheless."

Raiden knew his sister dappled with photography, but he didn't know she shared her photographs. Or maybe she didn't and this was the first time she did.

"So, I decided to give it a shot."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Raiden said.

"If I go on any 'photoshoots', would you like to tag along? Like last time?"

Raiden grinned. "I'd love too."

# # #

Reina and Kanan Mitsuyama, the student council secretary, walked behind Mori and Hani, who was currently sitting on top of his cousin's shoulders.

Reina was preoccupied with something, Kanan noticed. So she decided to mess with Reina a little, just to ruffle her feathers slightly.

"So, Reina," Kanan whispered to her friend.

"Huh?" Reina lifted her head.

"Has anyone caught your eye yet?" Kanan smiled slightly.

"What?" Reina questioned.

"You know," Kanan shot a knowing glance toward the tall boy in front of them. "Has anyone caught your attention? There are a lot of single, eligible boys, from well known families here."

Reina sputtered, causing Mori and Hani to turn around. She waved them off, claiming she was fine.

Once they turned around, Reina whipped her head in her friend's direction. "What the hell? What kind of question is that?"

Kanan shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "If I remember correctly you used to have a crush on a certain tall classmate of ours. You know, he has dark hair and his name sounds almost like your-"

"Stop!" Reina squeaked, grabbing Kanan's arm. They were nearing the 3A classroom. "What are you doing?" Reina's cheeks were flushed.

"Do you still like him?" Kanan whispered.

Reina sighed, casting a quick glance at Mori and Hani from the corner of her eye. "No," she said quickly.

Kanan grinned. "You do like him," she teased.

"No, I don't. I mean, he's handsome. I'll admit. He's handsome, okay," Reina huffed.

"You've always thought he was handsome," Kanan trailed. The two girls continued their walk toward their classroom, catching up to the boys.

"You're so mean," Reina grumbled.

"You might as well admit it. It's obvious."

Reina gasped. "Is it really? I, I'm attracted to him, but I don't like, like him. At least I don't think so," she began to panic.

Kanan smiled. "I didn't mean it."

Reina's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Rei-chan?"

Their attention was interrupted by Hani's voice. They turned and found Mori and Hani staring straight at them.

"Are you two alright?" Hani asked sweetly.

Reina took a big gulp of air. "I can't do this." She moved around the cousins and walked into her classroom, bumping into Nekozawa.

"Hello, Reina."

"Hey, Umehito-kun!" She hurried.

Mori and Hani stared after her, one more concerned than the other. Kanan giggled at her friend's actions. Mori and Hani turned their attention back to Kanan, who simply shrugged.

"Moriyama! P.E. Class. Rematch. Today!" They heard Chisaka's voice echo into the hallway.

They turned their attention into the classroom and saw Chisaka's face close to Reina's. They were staring heatedly at each other over her desk.

"What?!" Reina and Chisaka began bicker, but Kanan tried to concentrate on Mori and Hani's reaction, more interested in Mori's.

Mori stared into the classroom, his eyes focusing on Reina. He stared at his two seatmates confused.

"I didn't know Chisaka and Reina were so close," Hani noted.

Kanan shrugged. "They're not. Not really. See you guys."

# # # # # #

After school, Raiden walked down the familiar hallways and for old times sake he decided to walk by the host club's room. He wasn't sure if he wanted to pop in and say hello or just walk by. He was still sitting on cloud nine from his conversation with Kaoru that morning.

He neared the double doors and noticed one of them was wide open. He peered inside, but no one was present.

"That's weird," he mumbled to himself.

He made a move to turn around, but was launched forward into the room by a powerful push from behind.

"What?!"

"Gotcha!"

# # #

Raiden sat upright in a mahogany chair and looked into the curious eyes of the twins. Haruhi, Hani, and Mori were sitting at a table behind them. Tamaki and Kyouya occupied a sofa off to the side. Tamaki seemed intrigued, but Kyouya's eyes were concentrated on his laptop.

"What, what are you guys doing?"

Hikaru grinned. "We're leading an investigation."

"Why?"

"We just have a few questions," Kaoru shrugged.

Raiden moved in his seat. He knew what they were insinuating. He thought he was able to fly under the radar, but nothing escaped them. This had to do with his mother. "You guys know," he admitted. "What else is there too know?"

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Kaoru asked.

"It's not something we talk about. It's family matters. It's no big deal," Raiden murmured in reply, he fidgeted in his seat. "You didn't have to tie me up…"

Kaoru moved behind him and undid the ties.

Raiden stretched his arms, but settled back into the chair.

"Why did you all have such a harsh falling out?" Tamaki asked suddenly. "I can't imagine…"

Tamaki trailed away, but Raiden got the sense he wanted to continue his question, but didn't want to bring up any of his own bad memories.

Raiden sighed. "I'm not really sure what happened. I don't have any harsh feelings for my mother, but my sister does. She and my father are not on speaking terms with her. I'm not by default. She doesn't speak to any of us."

"And this is all because of your older brother, right?" Tamaki furthered, his eyes furrowed.

Raiden nodded. "We don't resent Akihiko for anything he's done, because he hasn't done anything. He's probably suffered worse than any of us. He can't even formally recognize himself as a Moriyama. My grandfather hasn't allowed it."

"Why does your mother hate him so much? Because your father cheated?" Haruhi asked.

"No," Raiden shook his head. He began to pick at his fingernails. "Akihiko was born before my parents were even married, but my father didn't find out about him until my sister was maybe two or three and I was barely coming along."

"My parents were never really close," he continued. "Not that I know of. If they were, I'm sure they would have been able to work it out. Love is supposed to work that way, right?"

"So their divorce is the reason your father is no longer heir?" Kyouya reasoned, adding his own understanding to the conversation.

Raiden nodded.

"What about Rei-senpai?" Hikaru asked. "Do either of you have any chance of becoming heirs?"

Raiden thought back to his sister. She had seemed bitter and disappointed after his parent's separation, but, now that he thought about it, it might not be because of the separation. It might be because of the results of the seperation.

Raiden gulped. "My grandfather doesn't believe I'm in a," he paused, "suitable position to be an heir and my sister, well he got really mad when she was expelled from Ouran in middle school."

"What did he do?" Kaoru gasped.

"At first he almost made her go to a school abroad, but shipped her off to St. Lobelia instead."

"I think," Raiden began to ponder on his sister's recent actions. "I don't know what my sister thinks, but I think she hates our grandfather for passing over her. She hates the reason why."

"What's the reason?" Kyouya asked.

"Because she's a girl."

A loud clicking sound echoed around the room. Their heads immediately shot up and snapped at attention to the door. Toya was standing in front with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well," he greeted. "If I had known we were sharing stories today, I would have brought my diary."

Raiden jumped from his seat. "What are you doing here?"

"Spilling secrets, Raiden?" Toya tilted his head to the side.

"What?"

"Your sister said you'd need company on your way home. I just came to offer my services." Toya bowed politely.

Raiden saw this as his chance. If anyone knew where his sister was going everyday after school, Toya would. "Do you know where my sister went?"

"She had business to address. You know, fighting the forces of evil, or whatever teenage girls do these days." Toya shrugged, then tugged at the ends of his blazer.

Kyouya stood up from his seat. "How long have you been standing there?"

Toya grinned wildly. "Long enough. Shall we go, Raiden?"

Raiden instantly rolled his eyes. "Will you tell me something about my sister if I go with you?"

Toya shrugged.

"What's going on, Raiden?" Haruhi asked.

"My sister is," Raiden waivered. His eyes whisked between the host club and the handsome boy standing before him, "my sister is up to something."

Raiden's eyes rested on Toya's. His eyes – a calming state of gray. For a second, Raiden was sure he misplaced a breath.

"I know where she's going," Toya concluded.

"You do?"

Toya nodded. "But I can't tell you."

"What do you mean?" Hikaru moaned.

"Why?" Raiden challenged.

"Reina made me swear not to tell."

Raiden scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"She said she'll tell you when she's ready."

"What is she doing?" Raiden asked quietly.

"The only thing she told me was, 'I'm fixing things'."

"Fixing things?" Raiden gripped his chin in between his fingers. "But what is she trying to fix?" Raiden questioned. He grabbed his book bag from the sofa and ran out of the room at top speed.

"Are you serious?" Toya groaned, but ran after him.

* * *

><p>A week had past after Raiden's conversation with the host club. They all kept it under wraps, not even his sister knew that they were aware of their situation with their mother, if it was a situation at all.<p>

The entire week, Raiden avoided returning to the host club. He was busy with archery club and trying to figure out what his sister was up to, but today was different.

"Nee-chan, you have to come. Hani-senpai said you would enjoy it especially." Raiden tugged on his sister's arm and pulled her closer and closer toward the third music room.

He pushed open the doors to the host club and immediately took a step back.

"Wow," Reina gasped beside him. She made a move to walk in, but her brother blocked her with his arm. He shut the doors quickly.

"What are you doing?"

"This might be too much for you." He pressed himself against the door. "Don't go in."

"What are you talking about?" she placed her hands on her hips and was about to start tapping her foot.

"It might be too much for your, what do you call them? Feels?"

"Raiden, move or so help me you'll be experiencing your own type of feels." She pushed past him and entered the room. She clutched her hands to her chest. "This is amazing!"

"Rei-senpai," Kyouya greeted her, "I'm glad you made it. How do you like our theme for today?"

Reina gazed around the room. Her eyes settled back on Kyouya. She blushed at the sight of him. "Are you all wearing hakama? Is that a pony tail?" She reached out for his hair, but he moved out of the way.

The Moriyama siblings looked around the room. Miniature Japanese styled rooms were set up sparingly around the larger club room. All the hosts were dressed in colorful traditional wear.

"Yes. Well, Renge did mention this cosplay would be popular with our guests." Kyouya wrote something quickly into his notebook, eyeing her in between scratches.

Reina awed. "Yes, she was right."

"Rei-senpai!" Renge bounded toward her. "Don't they look amazing? It's just like in Ninja Acquaintance and Ninja Love. It's too good to be true."

"Renge-kun, did you really give them this idea?"

Renge nodded excitedly.

"Advise them more often, yes?" Reina chuckled. "I love it."

Raiden plopped down at a table near the door. He watched as Renge dragged his sister away.

"Welcome back Raiden." Kyouya stood next to him.

"Hey, Kyouya-senpai."

"How are you enjoying the archery club?" Kyouya asked.

Raiden's eyebrows rose, surprised by his senpai's inquiry. "Um, it's been going very well. I've learned a lot in the few weeks I've been there."

"Impressive."

"My captain wants me to take part in an upcoming archery tournament."

Kyouya's eyes widen. "Congratulations. It's good to hear how much faith your upperclassmen have in you."

Raiden shrugged at the praise. "Thank you," he mumbled.

Kyouya concentrated on Reina and Renge's retreating forms. "How do you think your sister is getting used to Ouran?"

Raiden followed Kyouya's gaze. "I'm not sure. She seems to be okay. I think she's barely getting used to all the different people. I don't think she's been to school with so many important people."

Kyouya nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. I'm sure your sister will do fine, acclimating to her new environment, so to speak." Kyouya spoke with an air, as if he knew something Raiden didn't.

# # #

"Don't they look just marvelous," Renge pushed Reina toward the back of the room.

"Um, Renge? Where are we going?" Reina let her younger classmate pull her along, but watched as the twins performed their brotherly love act and Tamaki flirt with the girls. She had to admit, this cosplay was their best yet.

"Dressing you up of course!"

"What?!"

Once they were behind closed doors, Renge literally ripped her uniform off and heaved a kimono onto her form.

"Renge? No, you don't have to do this."

Renge tied the obi tightly, causing Reina's breath to hitch.

"But, but," Renge stammered, "you'll look so great."

"Okay, you're right," Reina giggled. "This is so exciting."

She let Renge put on the finishing touches of her kimono. Reina gazed down at her new appearance. The kimono fitted well on her body. It was a soft cream color with a striking red robe underneath. An assortment of blossoms littered the front and back from her collar down the hem by her feet. Renge also fitted her into two-inch high geta.

Reina squealed.

"You look great! Let's go!" Renge pushed her back out the door and helped her back to the main hosting area.

"Oh! Haninozuka-kun!" Reina called out. She walked toward her classmate as best she could without falling onto her behind.

"Rei-chan, you look so cute!"

"Thank you, Haninozuka-kun," Reina smiled warmly. She passed by a few groups of girls. Renge followed closely.

"Don't you think it's cute how Rei-senpai uses Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai's full name? It's so endearing." The girls around them began to giggle and squeal in delight.

"Haninozuka-kun, I love your cosplay for today," Reina confessed. She straightened herself quickly like a chill ran up and down her spine. She turned around slowly and found Mori standing right behind her.

"Morinozuka-kun?" She took a moment to catch her breath. A blush formed on her cheeks. "You look great too."

"You all look so amazing!" Some girls bustled beside her.

"Who do you think Mori-senpai is supposed to be? I'm sure Haruhi is supposed to be Soji Okita. Definitely!"

Reina rocked back and forth nervously on her feet. Renge shifted her eyes between Reina and Mori, noting their awkward postures.

Reina was about to start a new topic of conversation pertaining to capybaras when Mori swung a spear around and stabbed it into one of the portable screens situated around the room.

"Mori-senpai!"

"Morinozuka-kun?"

"Mori-senpai? You don't have to take your role so seriously…" Tamaki warned. The other hosts gathered around when they heard the commotion.

Raiden's hand immediately found Reina's in the crowd. She squeezed his hand tightly.

"No," Mori said. "We have an intruder."

The screen fell away and revealed a disheveled red head with a scrape on his face.

"Takashi Morinozuka!" The boy lunged, but quickly dropped before Mori's feet and bowed on the floor. "Please make me your apprentice!"

"Hey," Reina pushed past Mori, tripping over her feet, "I know you!"

# # #

"I know him," Reina leaned forward, pouring hot matcha into a clean new bowl. "I swear." She pushed the bowl toward her brother and then bowed deeply, her head almost touching the floor.

Her brother picked up the bowl turned it twice around in his hands and then took a long sip before turning it again and placing it back down on the floor. "Reina you just started going to school here about two weeks ago. I don't think you know him."

"I don't think we're doing this tea ceremony right," Reina commented lightly. She had dragged her brother into an impromptu tea ceremony, but they weren't doing so well.

Raiden rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh.

"I do know him. Remember that day a long long long time ago, when I dropped off your phone?"

Raiden nodded, remembering that day clearly. His sister received a concussion because Tamaki had tackled her.

"I asked a boy for directions. That's him," she pointed rudely at the teen sitting on one of the host clubs plush sofas. "He didn't help me at all. He scared me actually."

Raiden rose from his kneeling position and stretched. He stretched over to where his sister was sitting and helped her up.

"The kimono really does look good on you," he said while he helped her down from one of the many Japanese style rooms the host club had set up.

"Thank you. I love it." She let her brother lead her back to his friends. "Hey, how was your walk home with Toya the other day? It was last week, but I forgot to ask."

Raiden stiffened slightly at the memory. He hadn't told his sister about the discussion he had with the host club that day and it looked like Toya didn't tell her either. He scrunched up his face in thought, for a friend who apparently knew everything about his sister, Toya didn't tell her a lot of things.

"It was fine," he admitted.

"Really? Toya sounded pretty enthusiastic about it. I'm going to warn you - he's taken a liking to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She looked over her shoulder and tossed him a knowing grin. He rolled his eyes.

The two Moriyama's finally listened in on the conversation at hand.

"It's Kasanoda!" the red head yelled. "My name is Ritsu Kasanoda!" He barked at the twins."

"Bossanova?" The twins snickered playfully.

"It's all a misunderstanding, you know," Kasanoda continued, "I like kittens and writing and reading. I don't like pain and try to avoid it as much as possible."

The boy sighed, "But I'm shy so I have a hard time making friends. That's why I've come for help. I want you to take me on as an apprentice," Kasanoda's eyes landed on Mori. "You have to tell me how a scary and stony guy like you was able to make friends!"

Reina burst into a fit of laughter. Hikaru and Kaoru jumped at the chance as well, but not as loudly as Reina did.

"Oh wait," Reina wiped an escaped tear from her eye, "was he serious?"

A strange jingle began to echo around the room. All eyes settled on Reina's form. She stared back, confused. "What?"

Raiden looked to his sister, motioning to her phone.

Reina suddenly felt the vibrations of her phone and heard the ringing again. "Oh! Sorry." She took her phone out and immediately groaned.

"Sorry guys. Gotta go."

* * *

><p>The next day in literature class, Mori, Hani and Reina along with their classmates, were in the library working on reading assignments.<p>

"So…" Reina trailed away, keeping her voice low.

Mori lifted his eyes from the book he was reading, feeling slight irritation, but pushing it away.

"Sorry," she mumbled, settling down in the seat next to him. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine," he said softly. He looked around quickly, making note of where Hani was currently. His cousin was skipping among the rows of bookcases.

Reina pushed her chair closer to his. She leaned against the table with her elbow, resting her chin against the palm of her hand. She leafed through her own book unenthusiastically.

"Are you really thinking of taking up Kasanoda as an apprentice?"

Mori shrugged.

"I wasn't there for the rest of his request, but he seemed very sincere."

"You said you were scared of him?" he noted.

"He is scary at first, but I'm sure," she paused, "he wouldn't be as scary once you really get to know him. He seems sort of…sweet," she said with a small grin.

Mori shrugged again.

"You should consider it. Don't force yourself to do it though," she mumbled.

He nodded in understanding. "Where did you go yesterday?"

She sputtered. "I just had business to take care of."

A large body dropped down in the seat beside Reina. She moved away with an oomph.

"What the – oh it's just you."

The newcomer rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He eyed her closed book. "You're not doing the class work either?"

"Don't reprimand me, Chisaka, you're not doing anything either," she snapped under her breath.

"Oh yeah?" He moved closer. "Well, you suck at basketball."

"What kind of comeback is that? This has nothing to do with basketball and that's not fair. You can't compare my skills to yours, you're the captain of the basketball club."

"Yes, I am, and don't you forget it." He pulled at his shirt collar.

Reina rolled her eyes and turned away. Mori had watched the interaction between the two with interest. He didn't know they were getting on speaking terms.

"Hey," Chisaka called. "Do you think you can help me with a biology question?"

"Sure," Reina's disposition immediately brightened.

Chisaka grinned at her answer. He pulled a notebook out of his book bag and pushed it under her nose. He began to question her in a soft voice, too soft for Mori to hear.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Don't be afraid to leave a review :)


	16. Chapter 16 - Blood is Thicker

Rated T for Language

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"If the sky comes falling down for you,

there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do."

- Hey Brother by Avcii

* * *

><p>Chapter 16 - Blood is Thicker<p>

"Morinozuka Aniki! Good morning," Kasanoda kneeled before Mori and Hani.

"Good morning, Bossanova-kun," Hani greeted happily.

"Hey there! Haninozuka-senpai!" Kasanoda greeted in his usual gruff manner.

"Hey there…" Hani hid behind his cousin.

"Bossanova-kun?" Reina appeared from behind the trio. "I thought your name was Kasanoda." she rested an elbow in the palm of her hand and used the other hand to grip her chin, giving off an air of playfulness.

Kasanoda concentrated his gaze on the floor. "It is Kasanoda…"

"Oh, well, good morning, Kasanoda-kun," Reina said with a smile.

"Nee-chan!" Raiden bumped into her shoulder, "You totally ditched me with Toya. You can't do that. Oh," his eyes fell on the red head. "Hey, Casanova." He greeted.

"Hey there!" Kasanoda greeted roughly.

Raiden stepped back slightly.

Kasanoda, still in his kneeling position, lifted his arms out to Mori. "Aniki, let me carry your bag to the classroom."

"I'm fine." Mori replied curtly.

Kasanoda looked down disappointed. Reina maneuvered herself in front of Mori slightly.

"You can carry my bag if you'd like?"

"Really? Are you sure?"

Reina suddenly felt a strong hold around her upper arm. Mori pulled her away from Kasanoda sharply and knocked the first year away with a forceful push to the head.

"Morinozuka-kun?"

Just then a large potted plant landed in the very spot Kasanoda had been kneeling in. The pot lay shattered in pieces.

Reina let out a strangling gasp and went to take a step forward but Mori kept her back with an outstretched hand. He swiped at the air and shattered another falling potted plant.

"Mori-kun are you hurt?"

"You alright, Morinozuka?"

Concerned students began to gather around the silent host.

"Who could have done this?"

"You alright, Mori-senpai?" Raiden asked.

Hani climbed to his cousin's shoulders, "you okay?"

"Yeah."

Reina walked around the growing group of concerned students and leaned over Kasanoda. "Are you okay?"

"Uh," he stammered. He looked into her eyes and found genuine concern looking right back. He nodded vigorously. "Yes, I'm fine."

The three third years were practically escorted to their classroom by the two first years. Kasanoda was carrying Reina's book bag and Raiden was carrying a conversation with her. Mori followed silently and Hani piped in every now and then.

"Um, so," Raiden scratched the back of his neck. "My captain wanted to extend his invitation to our first archery tournament next month."

"What was your captain's name again?"

Raiden's shoulders immediately sagged. He let out a frustrated sigh. "How do you not remember? It's been a month and he greets you every time you're there."

"Correction," she held up a finger. The teens stopped in front of the entrance to class 3-A. "It hasn't been four weeks yet and I've been busy. I haven't been there in awhile." she said in a serious tone.

"Hayashi. Kentaro Hayashi. He's in class 3-B." Raiden replied curtly.

"Thank you." A happy smile returned to her face. "How nice of him. I'll make sure to be there."

"Here you go, senpai." Kasanoda handed over her book bag.

"Oh, thank you Kasanoda-kun!"

"Reina!" Kanan waved at her from inside the room.

"Bye, Raiden! Kasanoda." She offered them a wave before skipping into the room.

"Bye, senpai." Raiden bowed before Mori and Hani before walking away.

"Have a good day, Aniki! Good day, Haninozuka-senpai!" Kasanoda bowed deeply.

"Have a good day, Kasanoda." Hani gave him a wave and then proceeded into the classroom. Mori followed him.

"Kanan what are you doing in here?" Reina dropped her bag onto her desk.

"Oh, I was just visiting Takeshi," Kanan pointed to her fiance who gave her a glare.

"Oh, look I took the advice you gave me." Reina patted her head, tousled curls bounced around. "It really worked. I like how it turned out."

"It looks great on you. Are you still trying to grow it out?" Kanan fingered a strand of Reina's dark hair, switching her attention between her friends hair and something behind her.

Reina pouted. "Yes," she said shyly. "It's not growing as fast as I would like it, but it's getting there." She patted her shoulder length hair.

"Well, I'll see you later then. I've got to get to class."

Reina waved in her direction and watched her leave the classroom. She didn't feel Mori's looming presence next to her until he touched her arm softly.

She jumped away, startled. "Morinozuka-kun?"

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"What? Why?"

"From the courtyard. Did you get hurt?" His eyes were furrowed deeply.

She blushed under his gaze. "I'm fine."

He dropped his hand, but didn't move.

"Really," she reassured him. "I'm fine."

# # #

"Oh, Kaoru," Raiden strode into his classroom. "Since we were talking about photography the other day, I thought I'd bring you one of my sister's photography books."

"Really?" Kaoru's eyes brightened and Raiden immediately felt his chest swell.

He could only nod. "It's my sister's favorite. She said you could borrow it." He handed it over.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Just take good care of it."

Kaoru grinned. "Thanks!"

Raiden nodded again, but let out a shaky breath. He sat down in his seat and tried to even out his breathing.

# # #

Raiden peeked around the corner of the third year wing. He watched as his sister chatted up with some guy.

She was smiling and laughing softly at something he said.

"What are you doing, Rai-chan?" Hani snuck up from behind his underclassmen.

Raiden jumped away from the corner and hid. "Senpai…"

Hani looked at him curiously. "Are you heading to lunch?"

Raiden nodded foolishly, not knowing what else to do.

"Great. Takashi and I are heading there as well. Would you like to join us?" he asked sweetly.

"Sure." Raiden took one last glance around the corner and saw his sister walking along side Toya, going in the opposite direction.

Raiden walked comfortably in his friends presence. They walked down the two flights of stairs in relative peace and it wasn't until they had seated themselves with a tray full of food did Hani begin talking again.

"It's not like you to come to the cafeteria," Hani noted taking a bite from his pre lunch dessert.

Raiden stopped mid bite. "I forgot to make my lunch today. My sister usually reminds me, but she wasn't home this morning."

"She wasn't home?" Mori asked, his face not betraying any underlying concern.

Raiden shook his head. "Nope. She comes home every day now. It's not like before, when she would dorm at St. Lobelia. Now, she's going off doing something and I know it's not 'work'." Raiden used his fingers as imaginary quotation marks.

"It's not work because she usually works every other weekend. No," Raiden narrowed his eyes uncharacteristically, "she's up to something."

"Do you really think so? You did mention something the other day..." Hani finished his cake and moved on to his main dish. "She does seem pretty friendly with our classmates. I mean she did seem pretty shy the first couple of days, but she's come around. Hasn't she, Takashi?"

Mori nodded in agreement.

"Um, do you know who she was talking to right now?" Raiden moved his pasta around the plate with his fork. "You know right now… before we walked down here."

"Oh, that was Kawazawa. Toshiro Kawazawa," Hani said matter-a-factly, as if his identity was common knowledge, which it probably was, just not for Raiden. "His family owns a law firm here in Tokyo."

"Kawazawa, huh?" Raiden mentally wrote it down in his head.

"Raiden!" Kaoru yelled, causing Raiden to jump in his seat.

Raiden turned around and waved.

"This photo book is amazing." Kaoru dropped down in the seat next to Raiden. The photo book neatly tucked underneath his arms and tray full of food in his hands. He placed the tray down gently.

"Your sister has great taste," he chuckled. "Thank you for letting me borrow it."

He nodded proudly. "She has a ton of books on theory and techniques. Ansel Adams," he pointed to the book Kaoru was currently holding, "is one of her favorites. She likes landscape."

"No kidding. He's amazing." Kaoru placed the book in his lap and scooted forward, making sure it was hidden underneath the table.

Hikaru sat down next to his brother. "Bossanova not following you today, Mori-senpai?"

Mori shook his head. "Not right now."

"I think it's great that you guys are helping him," Raiden noted. "But, are you going to consider taking him on, Mori-senpai?" He took a quick glance at the twins, "I think he's going to need a little more help."

Mori shrugged.

# # #

Reina walked amongst the cherry blossom trees with Toya beside her. She bent over and picked up a discarded blossom from the floor. She cupped it safely in her hands.

"How's it going?" Toya asked softly. His gazed was concentrated on the trees overhead.

"I learned how to properly enter and disembark from a car this morning. It was quite the lesson," Reina replied with an eye roll. She rubbed each one of the petals in between her fingers.

"Ooh, how mind boggling," Toya teased.

"More like mind-numbing, but at least now I know how to ride in a vehicle. Geez. He makes me feel like a neanderthal. If he was so worried about my etiquette he should have taught me these things years ago."

The teens stopped in front of one of the many water fountains littered around campus. Toya sat down on the edge. Reina dropped her flower into the water and watched it twirl around.

"I snuck into their database," she said quietly.

"And?" Toya leaned forward, his elbowing burrowing into his knees.

Reina's eyes remained on the water. "I looked at the books. It doesn't look good."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I may not be an expert in math, but I know what I saw. It's not looking good."

Toya sighed. He rubbed a hand down his face and let it rest on his chin. "You're going to keep going?"

"Of course!" She whispered harshly. "I have too. I have just as much at stake."

A strong gust of wind hit Toya in the face. He turned toward the source and saw Kyouya and Tamaki walking in their direction.

"Shoot," he whispered under his breath.

"What?" Reina questioned, but soon saw the same thing. "Kyouya-kun. Tamaki-kun." She greeted them as happily as she could. "How are you two this fine spring day?"

"Hey, Rei-senpai!" Tamaki waved at her excitedly. "Did you want to take a walk around campus and see the cherry blossoms as well?"

"Oh yes. They're awfully beautiful aren't they?" Reina hugged herself.

"Have you had a full tour of our campus? Have you seen the hedge maze?"

"Hedge maze? No. I haven't. This school is quite expansive. I don't think I'll ever be able to explore every nook and cranny," Reina admitted with a slight laugh. Her eyes flickered over to Kyouya, who held an expression of indifference.

"I'll take you around sometime. We can make it a group activity and have the others tag along."

"That would be nice."

"Rei-senpai, Tsukino-senpai," Kyouya finally said. "Lunch is almost over. We should probably all head toward our classes now."

Reina gasped lightly. "You're right. I don't want to be late. The last thing I want is for Chisaka to chew me out again. The nerve of him."

"He's just teasing." Toya poked her in the side.

"Says you." She brushed him off and went to walk in step with Kyouya and Tamaki. The boys on either side. Toya in the rear. "Any new developments with Kasanoda-kun? Did you hear what happened today?"

Kyouya noted her blunt familiarity with the first year they were currently helping.

Toya noticed Kyouya's raised eyebrows as well, with the hint of his own.

# # #

"Rei-senpai," Hikaru greeted her at the door. "It's nice to see you at the club again. Are you going to help us with Bossanova?" Hikaru placed a hand on his hip playfully.

"No, I just came to tell my brother something, but it looks like he's not here yet." She pursed her lips in disappointment.

"You're welcome to wait here, senpai." Kyouya walked up to her and gestured to where Hani and Mori were hosting.

"Yeah?"

"Of course."

Hikaru and Kyouya walked her over to the two third years. The group of girls had just finished their turn and were getting up to leave. They greeted her excitedly.

"Good afternoon, Reina-senpai."

"Hello, Moriyama-senpai."

Reina smiled at them. "Hello, ladies."

The girls cast one last glance toward the side of the room before scurrying away. Reina sat down on the plush sofa and looked in the direction they did. She saw Kasanoda sitting up right and glaring daggers into their direction.

Smoothly as if it didn't faze her, she turned back slowly, her eyes crossing over Mori and Hani and then onto Hikaru and Kyouya. All the while she crossed one leg neatly over the other and she placed her hands gently clasped together in her lap.

"He looks particularly out of place," she finally said.

Hikaru leaned on the arm of the sofa. "Were you here when he asked for help?"

Reina nodded. "Yes, but I wasn't paying attention as for the reason why?" She said eloquently, giving herself a mental pat on the back.

"Yeah, he came begging Mori-senpai for help in making friends. He said since Mori-senpai looks scary and stony like him he would know."

"Scary-looking? Stony? Oh yes, I heard that part, but I left after that."

"Yeah, according to Bossanova, Mori-senpai has been able to make friends even though he has 'lifeless eyes'" Hikaru paused to look over to his senpai, an impish grin spreading on his face.

Reina followed his gaze and found Mori leaning on the sofa with his elbow. His chin placed expertly in the palm of his hand. His gaze trained on something other than them.

"Bossanova also said he had a 'wooden expression' and 'anti-social behavior'" Hikaru chuckled.

Reina's eyes lingered on Mori's form. Her expression softened and couldn't help offering a crooked smile, even though he didn't see it.

"Well, I wouldn't say he has lifeless eyes or a wooden expression," she contemplated.

Mori finally turned back to her. His eyes widened slightly at her steel gaze.

"Okay, maybe a little," she used her fore finger and thumb and squeezed them together, "And he's not anti-social just introverted," she resolved with a shrug. "I think."

"And his stony expression is what makes him so handsome, don't you agree?" She continued.

Hikaru shrugged harshly. "I don't know."

Kyouya openly stared in Reina's direction.

The doors to the host club opened and closed loudly.

Reina and the others turned to look at the newest visitor, but it was just Raiden.

"Raiden!" Reina jumped from her seat and walked over to her brother with a newfound spring in her step. The boys eyes all lingered on her form.

"I need to go, but I wanted to let you know that Toya is willing to give you a ride home if you want it." She began to fish around for something in her book bag.

"What?" Raiden knocked his head back in frustration and rolled his eyes. "Why?"

She took out a small square piece of paper and handed it to her brother. He took it reluctantly. He glanced at it quickly and read the numbers written neatly on top.

"He offered. You don't have to accept. He's here writing a paper or something, so just let him know." She began to make her way to the door. "Bye guys! It was nice hanging out with you."

"Wait, nee-chan." Raiden stopped her at the door. "Why does he keep doing this kind of stuff? Today he said he'd let me borrow his samurai movie collection if I'd asked and yesterday he offered to give me a calligraphy lesson."

Reina placed a hand on his shoulder, quickly noting how much taller he's gotten. She had to look up at him slightly just to look him in the eye. "He's just trying to be nice. You should really know when to recognize that. Bye!"

Raiden latched onto her arm quickly. "Where are you going?" he asked hastily.

"Oh you know," she shrugged. "I'm off to conquer the world."

He dropped his hand from her arm. "See you later?"

She offered a tight lipped smile and nodded in acknowledgement before walking out, closing the door quietly behind her.

# # #

_I'm in library #1._

For a person who took every chance to talk to him nonstop, Toya's texts were rather straightforward.

Raiden left the host club once club hours were over. He wanted to hang out with Kaoru more, and he did, but the hosts were mainly preoccupied with Kasanoda, which he found amusing.

He thought back with a small smile on his face. He shouldn't think it's funny, but the poor guy was working so hard. It was admirable.

"Raiden."

Raiden stopped in his tracks and turned around. Kyouya walked briskly toward him with two books in his hands.

"You're heading to the library, correct?"

Raiden nodded.

"I'll walk you down."

"Okay."

They walked toward the library in silence. Raiden never really knew what to say to Kyouya. They weren't very close. Now that he thought of it, he can count the number of times they had intimate conversations on one hand. How was it that he was able to feel so comfortable with him, he wondered.

"Your sister seemed like she was in a rush," Kyouya commented.

The comment took Raiden by surprise, but he decided to humor him anyway. "She usually is after school. We hardly go home together anymore."

"Really?" This took Kyouya by surprise.

"She usually waits for me until I'm done with archery club, but now she's hardly ever there."

Kyouya nodded in understanding. "That seems odd."

"It is." The two people fighting for attention at the moment was Kaoru and his sister.

Raiden and Kaoru spent much of their afternoon in between classes and briefly during the host club, going over the photo book Raiden let him borrow. Seeing him so enthusiastic made Raiden happy.

His sister was another matter. She was acting strange. At least he thought she was. He had to admit he wasn't very familiar with her 'usual' actions. But he's noticed that she goes off somewhere after her own club activities and arrives home after he does.

He saw her less and less during non school hours and he hardly saw her during school.

Kyouya and Raiden walked through the large french doors, marking the entrance to library #1. It was quieter than Raiden was used too.

Kyouya waved him off and walked over to the checkout desk.

Raiden walked as quietly as he could across the threshold and toward the tables, looking for Toya's trademark sandy blond dyed hair.

He walked past a dozen tables before stopping at the last row. Toya was hunched over an open textbook. His right hand clutching a pen and scribbling quickly across paper. He had a small laptop propped open in front of him as well.

Raiden stepped over to his upperclassmen as quickly as he could without disturbing him. He stopped in front of the table and decided to wait until he noticed.

A few minutes passed before Raiden grew impatient and announced his presence. "Hey."

Toya's eyes flicked upward briefly. "Hey." He returned to his work, but immediately looked up again. His previous stern expression gone and a wide smile spreading across his face. "Hey!"

Toya straightened himself in his seat. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me just put my things away." He slammed his textbook shut and began to jam his book and notebooks into his book bag. He closed his laptop with a snap and held it in his hand while he made room for it in his bag.

"I hope you weren't waiting long. Sorry, I was just distracted. This paper is due friday. I don't get why they're asking so much from us already," Toya moaned. He pushed his laptop into a free space and then dropped his pen inside. "Look at that. Record time. You probably won't see that again," he winked.

He stood up from his seat and stretched his arms above his head. Raiden noticed his blazer was completely unbuttoned.

"Let's head home?" Toya asked. He grabbed hold of his book bag.

Raiden nodded.

The two teens walked out of the library more noisily than when Raiden walked in. Toya let his shoes tap at the well polished floor loudly, not even trying to muffle his steps. He also moved through the rows of tables quickly. There were only a handful of students present, but Raiden at least thought staying quiet in the library was still a cardinal rule.

Raiden rolled his eyes at the thought. The students were never quiet here during the day. What was he thinking?

"Kyouya-senpai," Raiden said curtly.

Kyouya was still at the checkout desk. He was waiting on a librarian.

"Heading home now?" Kyouya asked.

Raiden nodded.

"I see. Well, have a good afternoon."

"Thank you, senpai. You too."

Toya gave Kyouya an acknowledging nod and then walked out with Raiden.

Once they exited Toya began to speak. "I'm glad you took up my offer. I'd hate for you to take the train during rush hour." Toya glanced at his wrist watch.

Raiden narrowed his eyes at his gesture. He didn't know people still wore watches. At least people his age.

"Yeah, thanks," he muttered in return.

"Come on, a ride home from me isn't that bad. Is it?" His held a hint of sincerity.

"I don't think so."

"Okay, then don't dread it so much."

They walked down a short set of stairs and across the courtyard to the carport, where cars came and went to pick up students.

Raiden let Toya lead the way.

"Rai-chan!"

Raiden turned around promptly and saw Hani waving at him happily. He and Mori were standing next to their own ride home.

"See you tomorrow, Rai-chan!"

"Bye, Hani-senpai! Bye, Mori-senpai!"

He watched the two cousins enter their vehicles. Toya opened the door to a shiny black car and motioned Raiden too enter.

Raiden took a big gulp and slid across the pristine leather seats. The car smelled brand new.

"Your sister told me you feel uncomfortable on crowded trains so I hope this helps alleviate any transportation stress you would have encountered today." Toya leaned back in his seat and visibly relaxed.

"Oh," Raiden was surprised to hear that. "Thank you."

"There's no need. I'm just trying to help." Toya looked out his window.

"Why?"

"Hm?" Toya switched his view to Raiden.

"Why are you helping me?"

Toya shrugged. "It's what friends do."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17 - 1st Step: Awareness

Edited: July 12, 2014

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"I'm just the same as I was

Now don't you understand

That I'm never changing who I am."

- It's Time by Imagine Dragons

* * *

><p>Chapter 17 - 1st Step: Awareness<p>

"Kasanoda-kun?" Reina placed a garden scoop down next to the plant she was about to place. "Kyouya-kun, hello." Reina wiped her hands on her apron.

"Rei-senpai, good afternoon," Kyouya greeted. He reached his hand down and helped her up.

"What brings you two down to the greenhouse?"

Kyouya's gaze lingered on her eyes, before casting his gaze toward Kasanoda. The first year moved restlessly from foot to foot.

"I thought it would be a good idea for Kasanoda to join the gardening club. He has an affinity for these types of things."

"Really, Kasanoda-kun?" Reina smiled brightly.

Kasanoda shrugged. "Yeah…"

"The president of the gardening club is over there," Reina pointed to a wide eyed teenage girl with a bob haircut. She was lugging a watering can across the floor. "Why don't you introduce yourself to her and ask what you can do around here."

Kasanoda nodded. "Thanks for bringing me, Kyouya-senpai," he said with a gruff, before walking off to the president.

Reina started untying her apron.

"Are you heading somewhere?" Kyouya asked.

Reina looked down at her wristwatch. The little hand was just past four and the long hand was sitting directly on the six. "Yeah, I have somewhere I need to be."

She started to walk toward the shed and dropped her apron in a box right outside the entrance and picked up her book bag from a short cuby.

"Would you like me," Kyouya paused trying to find the right words, "to escort you?"

Reina lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. "If you'd like. I don't mind being escorted by a handsome young man."

Kyouya bowed his head. "Of course."

The two teens slipped out of the greenhouse and followed along a paved path around the school, leading out to the main courtyard.

"It's weird seeing you do such menial tasks," Kyouya commented, not too harshly, but not kindly either.

She gave him a sideways glance. "I like to garden. It's relaxing," she explained. "Do you have any hobbies that relax you?"

Kyouya didn't answer for several moments. Instead, she decided to change the subject.

"I don't think we've ever been alone like this Kyouya-kun," Reina noted.

"No, well. The last time you yelled at me," Kyouya replied.

"What?" She shoot him a confused look.

"That one day, at the beach…"

Reina stopped abruptly. Her mouth opened wide in a large gape. "Oh my god. I had completely forgotten and I was holding the longest grudge against you because of that." She sighed. "I guess I forgot."

Kyouya chuckled softly.

"Did you actually just laugh?" Reina stared back in fake astonishment.

"Yes, senpai. I am capable of laughing."

Reina smiled. "It's just nice. That's all." She tried to change the subject. "Well, it looks like you've helped Kasanoda-kun with whatever was plaguing him."

"Yes, he just needed a little soul searching," Kyouya resolved.

"Good for him," she said with an affirming nod.

"Where are you off too, senpai? Home?" Kyouya asked. His shoulder brushed softly against her own.

"No. Yes," she quickly amended, but she knew Kyouya caught her words. "Out…?"

"Do you have a date?" Kyouya sounded amused.

Reina felt her cheeks flare up. "No," she mumbled. "I just have business to attend too. Why do you care if I have a date?" She poked him in the shoulder.

Kyouya nodded in understanding, ignoring her last question. "How are you liking Ouran? I hope it's to your satisfaction."

They were nearing the courtyard where cars came around to drop off and pick up students. Currently there was only one black car waiting around the curb.

"I'm liking my classes so far. My classmates are surprisingly positive. I don't remember them being this peppy. Or maybe I just never noticed," she said the last part quietly. "Kyouya, should you be away from the club this long? I don't want to keep you from your duties."

"It's fine. I'm sure the others can survive." Kyouya smiled, his pearly white teeth barely showing.

"If I had known any better, I would think this walk has an ulterior motive," Reina noted with a cool tone.

"Senpai, I just wanted to offer you company."

They neared the black vehicle. A man from the driver's side stepped out and waited by the passenger door.

"How kind of you," she replied, her voice reaching a new peak of monotonous.

"And," Kyouya continued, "to let you know you looked quite charming at Suoh's company brunch last Sunday. Blue looks good on you."

Reina turned to face him slowly. She stammered trying to choose the right words, but all she could come up with was, "what?"

The teens finally reached the black car. The man, who turned out to be younger than Kyouya pictured, bowed in front of her.

"Moriyama-san," he said curtly.

"Uh." Her eyes flicked between Kyouya and the driver. "Tetsuya," her eyes finally landed on the driver's. His dark ones looked unamused.

Tetsuya opened the car door.

"You saw me?" Reina asked, standing by the opening.

Kyouya nodded.

Reina sighed. "Why didn't you say hello? I was stuck talking to a bunch of old men."

Kyouya grinned at the memory. "I thought you were doing just fine."

She pursed her lips. "Next time, say hello."

"Will there be a next time?"

Reina threw her book bag into the car. She turned to face him, a new determined look spreading on her face, "from now one there will always be a next time."

Kyouya nodded. He took a step away from the car and was about to walk away toward the school when long fingers wrapped around his forearm. He found himself staring down into his senpai's gray eyes.

"Don't tell, Raiden," she said almost pleadingly. "Please."

Kyouya removed her fingers from his arm and held her much softer hand in one of his own. "Of course, princess. There isn't anything to tell."

"Princess?" Reina laughed at the affectionate title, "please." She rolled her eyes. "You actually have a real life princess on your hands. The princess from Monale, right?"

Kyouya nodded. Her hand still in his.

"I'd love to hear all about that." She took her hand slowly out of his. "I've got to go," she said softly. "Thank you, Kyouya-kun, for escorting me."

"Of course."

Reina turned back to the car and slid inside elegantly. Tetsuya whispered a few words to her, to which she nodded. He closed the door and walked back around the car to enter the driver's side. The car's windows were too dark to look inside, but Kyouya knew Reina probably wasn't even looking his way.

###

"You're doing very well, Raiden."

Raiden dropped his bow and bowed. "Thank you, senpai."

Kentaro Hayashi placed a hand firmly on his hip and looked at his underclassmen curiously. "Is this really only your first year doing archery?"

"I, well," Raiden stuttered. "I've done it before, but I've never practiced or competed competitively."

Hayashi nodded. "I see. Well keep up the good work. A few more shots and you're done for today."

Raiden nodded. He heard Hayashi walk away. He brought his bow back up and pulled the bowstring back towards his head. The arrow rested between the bow and his fingers. He let out a long breath.

"Tsukino! What are you doing here?"

Raiden released his arrow without thinking. It suck into the outer rim of the target. He turned around to the source of the captain's outburst. Toya was standing near the entrance, his head in between Hayashi's arms with Hayashi messing with his hair.

"Hey, Rai-chan!"

Raiden didn't notice Hani and Mori standing behind the two teens.

He dropped his bow. "Hey, Hani-senpai. Mori-senpai."

"You're really good, Rai-chan." Hani skipped over in his direction.

"Thank you," Raiden muttered in reply.

"Remember the other day, you mentioned an archery tournament. Do you think we could join you and your sister? It sounds exciting and I wouldn't mind tagging along," Hani stared eagerly into his eyes.

Raiden took a step away from Hani's hard stare. "Sure. I mean, if that's what you want to do."

"Great! I can't wait."

"You hear that, Raiden." Hayashi walked over, with Toya still stuck underneath his arms. "There are more people coming to watch us compete. Shouldn't that be an even greater incentive for you to do it?"

"What do you mean?" Toya's voice was muffled.

Hayashi finally let him go.

"You're competing aren't you?" Toya stared pointedly at Raiden.

Raiden moved uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Yes he is," Hayashi said with a strong finality in his voice. "Raiden why don't you pack up. Practice is over for today. Clean up!" Hayashi began to command around the room.

Raiden scurried off to put his equipment away. When he finished placing everything away and changing out of his practice uniform and into his school uniform, he found Toya, Hani, and Mori standing outside the archery dojo.

"You guys waited?"

"Of course we did!" Hani replied.

"Thanks."

They began to walk away toward the pickup area. Raiden looked around, searching for his sister.

"She left already," Toya mentioned lightly.

"Did she say where she was going?"

Toya shook his head. "Nope."

Raiden's shoulders drooped.

"Don't fret," Toya threw his arm over Raiden's shoulders, "I'll keep you company."

Raiden pushed him off, "That's not what I'm worried about."

Toya shrugged, "Alright…"

"Hey," Raiden turned his attention to Hani and Mori. "What are you guys doing with the Princess of Monale. I was surprised to see her so suddenly in class."

"She's a sweet girl," Hani piped, "but we think she misses her brother."

"Really? Is that why she's being insufferable?"

"Raiden," Toya's voice held a warning tone, "that's not nice."

"Have you met her?"

"No."

"Then don't tell me to be nice about it. It's not like I'm mean to her or anything," Raiden explained.

"There's no reason to judge so harshly," Toya replied quietly.

Raiden turned his head sharply at his response. Toya returned his surprised expression with a wide smile. "There's my car!" He announced proudly. "Would you like another lift?"

"Raiden," Hani caught his attention. "We'll see you at the tournament."

Raiden nodded, giving his senpai a small wave.

"Hey," Raiden turned his attention back to Toya, "how do you know Hayashi-senpai?"

Toya replied with another smile.

* * *

><p>"I'm so excited." Reina moved behind the rows of tables and into the stands with the help of Toya, who had a firm grip on her hand. Hani and Mori were already seated and had saved two seats for them.<p>

"Rei-chan! Up here!" Hani waved his arms erratically.

"He's as hyper as ever," Toya commented.

"He's just happy."

"When is he not happy?"

Reina shrugged. "These are great seats," she said once she reached the two cousins.

"Rei-chan, I'm so excited." Hani fidgeted in his seat.

Reina took the seat next to Mori. "I am too!"

Toya sat down next to Reina and immediately crossed his legs once he sat down.

"Rei-chan, you look really nice. Doesn't she, Takashi?" Hani pointed out.

Mori nodded and said a quiet 'yes'.

Reina looked down at her black and white striped blouse and bright red skirt. She wasn't sure what to wear today. She wanted to look her best for Raiden. She didn't know how else to show her support. The officials said posters weren't allowed. "Thank you," Reina breathed out.

"There are a lot of judges aren't there?" Toya interrupted.

"Yeah, it's kind of scary," Reina replied.

"Ooh, the Ouran team is coming out." Toya sat up straighter in his seat.

"Raiden looks so adorable," Reina whispered. She settled into her seat comfortably, her arm, lightly brushing against Mori's.

The teens watched in relative silence as their friend and brother gathered on the shooting range with five other archers. The teams gathered behind them.

Raiden rose second. He rested an arrow expertly on his hand and stretched the bowstring back, past his face. He took two long breaths before releasing his first arrow.

The arrow hit the target with a loud, thud. The judges applauded. Reina applauded as well. Mori smiled slightly at her enthusiasm.

Raiden repositioned himself with his second arrow. He pulled the bowstring back again, but this time took one long breath before releasing the arrow.

It hit the target with another loud, thud, and it hit closer to the bullseye. The judges applauded again. Reina responded with twice as much enthusiasm.

"He's really good," Toya exhaled.

"He's amazing," Reina countered.

They watched Raiden go through three more rounds of two shot arrows. Hayashi and another third year from Ouran did just a little better than Raiden did.

Reina felt an enormous amount of pride rush through her. Her brother competed so well and elegantly. She watched as Raiden bowed once more in front of the judges before moving back to the rest of the Ouran team members.

She watched as Hayashi locked Raiden into a playful head hold and ruffled his hair. She suddenly felt Toya fidget next to her. He strained his neck to get a better look.

She rolled her eyes at his antics.

A judge walked to the main podium and began to announce the winners of the competition.

"And first place is awarded to Ouran Academy."

Cheers erupted from the Ouran team. Reina, Toya, and Hani joined in.

"Individual medals awarded to Ouran Academy's Raiden Moriyama for third place."

Reina gasped. "Oh my gosh! My brother got third place!"

Hayashi slapped Raiden on his back.

"First place awarded to Kentaro Hayashi from Ouran Academy."

Reina, Toya, Mori, and Hani clapped once again for their classmates.

# # #

Reina, Toya, Hani, and Mori waited outside the venue for Raiden. Reina moved back and forth on the balls of her feet. "That was so cool," she sounded out of breath. "We should go out to celebrate!"

"Nee-chan?" Raiden finally walked out with his bow safely encased and resting on his back. Hayashi walked behind him.

"Raiden." Reina jumped in excitement and bounded toward her brother. She gave him a quick hug. "You are amazing."

"Nee-chan," Raiden groaned.

"I'm telling ya!" Hayashi slapped Raiden on the back again.

"Senpai," Raiden groaned again.

Toya cleared his throat, catching Raiden's attention. He stepped back from his unwavering attention. Toya rubbed a finger underneath his nose. "You were incredible, Raiden."

Raiden felt his cheeks heat up, but then immediately felt angry at his reaction. He looked away and concentrated his gaze on Hani and Mori.

"You did a great job, Raiden," Mori said quietly.

"Really?" Raiden's eyebrows rose at the thought.

"You were, you really were," Hani moved in front of his cousin. "I was very impressed." He nodded happily.

"Thank you, senpai."

"Let's go celebrate," Reina offered. "I'm sure we can find a place close by."

"I'd love to tag along," Hayashi interrupted, "but I have to report back to school. Good job today, Moriyama!"

Hayashi faked saluted before jogging away toward a black car.

"What do you say Raiden?" Reina continued. The teens began to walk toward the intersection when a sleek black car stopped next to them on the curb. "Oh no," Reina sighed.

"Nee-chan?"

A tall man stepped out of the vehicle and promptly opened the passenger side door.

"Moriyama-san. You have your phone turned off," he stated.

"I was busy, Tetsuya," Reina replied back curtly.

"You're needed."

Reina stammered. Her eyes landing on her brother, who stared back in astonishment. "What's going on?" He whispered.

"I have to go. I'm sorry, Raiden. I wish I could stay and celebrate with you."

"Where are you going? Who is that?" He was distracted by Tetsuya's well defined jawline. "Is that a driver? Since when have you had a driver?"

Reina gaped, looking for answers. "I'll see you later," she hurried out.

Tetsuya held out his hand to her and helped her into the vehicle. He closed the door promptly and then smoothed into the driver's seat. He sped away before the teens had anything else to say on the matter.

"That's one of my grandfather's cars," Raiden muttered. He began to search the area around him.

"Raiden?" Toya questioned.

"There's one." Raiden pointed towards a shop across the street and sprinted away before the walking signal turned off. The boys followed quickly.

Raiden burst into the bookstore. He walked briskly toward the magazine section and started looking in the business category.

He grabbed a handful of random titles and began flipping through the glossy pages.

Toya jogged up next to him. "Raiden?" He asked, a little breathless.

Raiden tossed him a magazine. "Here, see if you can find any reference to my family or my grandfather's company."

"Why?"

"Just do it, please."

Toya exchanged a concerned look with Hani and Mori.

# # #

Raiden trudged through the front door of his home. He barely kicked his shoes off before stepping into a pair of house slippers. He raced down the hall and sat down at the table in front of the tv.

"Hello to you too," Akihiko greeted nonchalantly. He eyed his brother with disinterest, but noted his tense shoulders. "How was your tournament? You dominated, right?"

"Hello, Akihiko-san!" Hani bounded into the family room.

Akihiko sat up quickly in his seat. Mori and Toya followed behind the shorter third year.

"Oh gosh, are the others here too?" Akihiko strained his head to look around the corner.

Toya shook his head. "It's just us."

"Hey, Toya," Akihiko acknowledged happily. "Long time no see. Don't stay away too long. You're always welcome here."

Toya grinned, his eyes flicked over to Raiden, before falling back to Akihiko. "I'll take your word for it."

Akihiko nodded at Hani and Mori. The cousins sat down at the table with Raiden. Toya sat down next to Akihiko on the couch.

"What's going on?" Akihiko watched his younger brother lean over a hand full of magazines.

"We saw Reina get into one of your grandfather's cars," Toya answered.

Realization dawned on Akihiko's face. "I see." He stretched his arms above his head and then rested them on the top of the couch, one of them rested behind Toya's head.

"Nii-chan," Raiden almost groaned. "Reina is doing something with grandfather and we need to find out what and stop her. I thought transferring to Ouran was the only thing he asked her to do, but if he's making her do something else we have to do something. "

"What makes you think it's bad?" Akihiko leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Your hair looks great, Aki," Toya cooed, trying to change the subject.

Akihiko chuckled. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Thanks. I went back to my natural hair color a few weeks ago. I got tired of blond."

"You're naturally brunette?" Hani asked suddenly.

"You bet," Akihiko said playfully. "Toya, you should consider going back to your natural color too."

Toya shrugged.

Akihiko's eyes traveled from Hani to Mori and then settled on his brother. "Just let it go, Raiden."

"What? How could you say that?" Raiden slapped his fists on the table. "He could be making her do something and we're just sitting back unaware of it all."

"Reina knows what she's doing. Just let her be."

Raiden flipped through another page of his chosen magazine. "No. She wouldn't just up and do something like this. And a driver. She had her own driver! What the heck?"

"Raiden," his voice darkened.

"Akihiko." Raiden turned to face his brother. "I can't just let her do this."

"You don't know what she's doing."

"Exactly. That's why I'm going to find out and stop her. If he's forcing her..." He trailed away and returned to his magazine and flipped the page.

"Forced is the last thing she'll let happen. Just let her do what she wants." Akihiko slouched back into his seat. His attention returning to the tv.

"How could you say that? What if she's in trouble?"

"She's not."

Raiden glared at his brother. "How do you know?"

"It's Reina. Do you really think someone like your grandfather would force her to do something she didn't want to?"

Raiden ignored his brother's jab. He was going to get to the bottom of this whether his brother liked it or not.

* * *

><p>Raiden continued his investigation without the help of his older brother. Akihiko was reluctant to get involved, claiming "Reina's business, was her business. Leave her alone."<p>

His chivalry was not appreciated at the moment, Raiden thought. He walked across the threshold, dividing the archery dojo from the boys locker room. He was too distracted to realize Hikaru and Kaoru were playing hacky sack outside.

"Heads up!"

"Huh?" A purple hacky sack landed squarely on Raiden's head.

"Nice catch," Kaoru teased, jogging up to him.

Raiden felt his cheeks heat up slightly. He looked down at Kaoru's feet. He grabbed the hacky sack from his head and handed it over to him.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Club activities are over!" Hikaru ran up to him. "We wanted to see if you wanted to hang out."

That's when Raiden noticed Mori and Hani walking up to them. He greeted them with a nod.

"What did you have in mind?" Raiden asked.

The bundle of teens walked toward the courtyard. Hikaru taking the lead, kicking the hacky sack from his foot to his knee and vice versa.

"I'm thinking of heading soon to take some photographs. Do you want to tag along?" Kaoru suddenly asked.

Raiden gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah. I told you I'd invite you to come along," Kaoru shrugged.

"I'd love to go." Raiden's heart swelled. He was getting excited. Finally another chance to hang out with Kaoru and it was happening this weekend. He could hardly wait.

"Is that Rei-senpai and Kyouya-senpai?" Hikaru stopped suddenly and pointed in the direction of the courtyard.

The others stopped too and hid behind a nearby bush.

"What are they doing?" Kaoru whispered

"That's the car again!" Raiden seethed.

"I recognize the driver," Hani said.

"Is this what Kyouya does when club is over? I sometimes see him rush off after duties are over," Hikaru muttered. "I wasn't expecting this."

"What? He does?" Raiden leaned forward, trying to get a closer look.

Mori's eyes narrowed. Reina and Kyouya seemed to be having a heated discussion. What could they possibly be talking about?

"Ooh, what's the gossip?"

All the teens, minus Mori, jumped at the sound of the newcomer. Toya responded with a sly grin.

Raiden instantly groaned.

Toya replied with pursed lips and a groan of his own.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Leave a review. Thank you for tagging along with this ride. I appreciate every single one of you who read my story week after week. Thank you for following, favoriting, and reviewing. Thank you for just viewing in general. It means a lot.

Also, I wanted to know your opinion on the chapter lenghts. Is the current length okay? Would you prefer shorter or longer ones? I probably should have asked this ages ago. Sorry :|


	18. Chapter 18 - Finding Your Way

Song Inspiration

"I just wanna be myself

And I want you to love me for who I am."

- Hair by Lady Gaga

* * *

><p>Chapter 18 - Finding Your Way through the Haze<p>

"Who is my sister sitting with today?" Raiden peered around Haruhi, before taking a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.

Kaoru looked as well. "Well, that's Toya sitting next to her."

Raiden groaned. "I know that."

Hikaru leaned on his elbows. "That's Chiyo Nishida and Emiko Iwasaki. Nishida is the class rep for class 3A. Her family runs a publishing company. Iwasaki's family owns a few boutiques around Tokyo."

Raiden nodded, taking in the information.

"Why are you being so nosy?" Haruhi asked. "You keep asking about who she's spending her time with."

"She's always with someone different," Raiden commented. "I'm just wondering what she's up too."

"I suppose, but she's just trying to get to know her classmates. She's new here," Haruhi defended.

"That thing with Kyouya was kind of weird too," Hikaru mentioned.

"What thing?" Haruhi asked.

The twins looked between themselves and then to Raiden and shrugged.

"Hey guys," Hani greeted. Sitting down next to Haruhi. Mori sat down on Raiden's other side.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Raiden moved his concentration down to his pasta. "Nothing." Hani and Mori had already caught him spying once before, he didn't want them to know he was still spying.

"Rei-senpai and who she's hanging out with," Haruhi answered without a pause.

Hani glanced quickly at Raiden. "Really?"

Raiden shrugged, not meeting his eyes.

"Rei-chan is a lot more friendly recently. It's nice seeing her socialize with our classmates. She was so closed off the first week."

"Really?" Raiden asked.

Hani nodded. "It's all thanks to Chisaka, don't you think, Takashi?"

Mori glanced at his cousin briefly before returning his attention to his food. His eyes would flick between his food and Reina. This action didn't go unnoticed by the short third year and surprisingly one of the Hitachiin twins.

Kaoru looked on in surprise.

Raiden glanced between Hani and Mori. "Who is Chisaka?"

* * *

><p>Reina moved from foot to foot in excitement. "Are we going to make a game out of this? Is there a scavenger hunt? Or maybe we team up and see who gets to the end first? Is there going to be prizes?"<p>

Reina, Raiden, and the host club stood before the hedges. She gave her brother a quick glance, but looked away just as fast. She hasn't been able to face him entirely since the day after the archery tournament, and that was already two weeks ago.

"Nee-chan, relax…" Raiden mumbled, feeling just as uncomfortable. He hasn't been able to talk to his sister about the events from weeks ago. He tried not to bring it up even though it upset him. He didn't want to upset her.

"We could pair up," Tamaki contemplated. He placed a hand on his chin.

"I know!" Reina turned excitedly to the boys. "Whoever wins gets treated for a dinner or movie or something by the losers."

"Sounds like a plan!" Hikaru grabbed Haruhi. "We're a team! Come on, Kaoru."

"We should do something different," Hani called out, gripping his bunny closer to his chest.

"Like what?" Raiden asked, suddenly feeling hopeful.

"We should team up randomly!" Hani announced. He grabbed Kyouya's notebook and ripped a piece of paper out. He ripped up small pieces and wrote numbers on them. "Whoever gets matching numbers are in a team. Yes?"

Hani placed the papers in his hands and stretched them out so the others could pick a paper.

Reina and Raiden walked over first and picked up a small piece respectively.

Reina's paper had a one. Raiden's had a four.

The others followed suit, picking up pieces and unraveling them.

"I got three!" Hikaru ran to his brother. "What do you have?"

Kaoru lifted his paper for his brother to see. "I have four."

"I have four!" Raiden yelled, but quickly calmed down.

Kaoru walked over to him. "I guess we're teammates then."

Raiden could only nod.

"What did you get, Haruhi?" Tamaki pressed two forefingers together sheepishly.

"I have three," her tone sounded bored.

"Me too!" Tamaki jumped.

"Does that mean we're on the same team?" Hikaru complained.

Reina stood separated. "I have a one. Am I all alone?" She began to panic. "No!"

"Senpai, calm down," Kyouya walked up to her, his gait relaxed.

She visibly grimaced. Kyouya sighed at her reaction.

"I'm not on your team, am I?"

Kyouya shook his head, ignoring her obvious aversion. "No, I got two."

"Then who am I…?" Reina noticed Kyouya's attention drift to something behind her. She turned around and found Mori standing before them. "What number did you get, Morinozuka-kun?"

He held up his paper, a one clearly written on it.

"Great!"

Hani walked over to Kyouya. "It looks like it's the two of us," he said with a grin.

Kyouya observed the teams. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Hani looked up innocently. "What do you mean?"

# # #

The teens headed into the hedge maze through separate entrances. Reina walked close to Mori.

"Alright, go!" They heard Hani's voice from a few feet away.

Reina and Mori jogged into the maze and stopped once they walked around the first corner.

"It's kind of spooky in here," Reina mumbled. She walked closer to her classmate. "I can't believe there's actually a maze here. I didn't believe Tamaki-kun when he told me."

"If we win," Reina began, "what would you want in return? I really want to go to the movies. Or maybe the amusement park."

Mori shrugged.

They rounded another corner. Reina tripped over a vine and fell hard on her knees. "Ouch," she said in a harsh breath.

Mori knelt down and placed a hand on her forearm, helping her up from the ground. She mumbled a quick thanks.

They continued through the hedge maze, nervousness building up inside Reina. Their arms knocked into each other every few paces, but neither of them moved away.

# # #

Raiden and Kaoru walked through the hedge maze.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be with Hikaru," Raiden said, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh, that's okay. I feel bad for Haruhi. She's stuck with Hikaru and Tono. I can't even imagine how it's going for them right now," Kaoru chuckled at the thought.

Raiden began to panic. What were they supposed to talk about now?

"How is archery? Congratulations on your medal by the way."

Raiden felt his face heat up. "Thank you. It's going very well. I'm glad I've gotten the hang of it so quickly."

"Hopefully I'll be able to go to your next competition. Let me know when it is."

Raiden grinned. His heart began to thump loudly in his chest. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

They followed the maze for a few minutes in silence.

"I know Hikaru and I kind of freaked out after you left the host club, but we're not angry," Kaoru said suddenly.

"What?" Raiden gasped slightly.

"We get it. It was just weird. We're getting used to it, but there's no harsh feelings, so don't worry about it."

Raiden felt a weight lift from his shoulders, a weight he hadn't realized was there. He was glad Kaoru was okay with him leaving the host club. He felt ecstatic that Kaoru complimented him on his archery, even though he hasn't seen him yet. He was just glad Kaoru still talked to him.

"Who do you think will win?" Kaoru asked.

"Probably Mori-senpai and my sister," Raiden contemplated. "My sister is competitive and Mori-senpai is patient. I'm sure that'll work hand in hand."

"Is your sister liking Ouran?"

The question startled Raiden. "I think she is."

"I can't believe she's a model. I mean, I know we've known for a long time, but it's hard to believe. She doesn't seem like the type of person."

"That's what I thought, but she likes doing it."

"Toya is definitely model material."

"Why do you say that?" Raiden was intrigued. He's never heard Kaoru or Hikaru talk about Toya that way. He's never heard them talk about him at all.

"He's always eager to try new things."

"Really?"

Kaoru furthered. "He's friendly too. He's always nice to the crew on photo shoots and remember that day we went out for Valentine's Day? He hardly knows us, but he was kind to all of us."

The two teens rounded a corner, coming to a dead end. They backtracked and took a different turn.

"You're friendly too," Raiden quickly defended.

Kaoru gave him a sideways glance. "Sure, I suppose."

Raiden remained silent, not knowing what else to say.

"Do you think your sister gets a lot of love confessions?"

Raiden looked at his friend strangely, surprised by his sudden question. "I don't think so."

"Why? She's pretty," Kaoru reasoned.

"I don't know. I always assumed it was because people are intimidated by her. Why?" Raiden's breath released in short lapses. He was starting to panic. Why would Kaoru be asking something like that? Unless, he was interested in his sister. He felt his stomach drop.

"No reason," Kaoru shrugged.

Raiden's happy mood dissipated.

"Ow!"

The boys looked between themselves. They walked toward the source of the voice and looked around a hedge and found Reina and Mori.

Reina was sprawled across the ground and Mori was kneeling beside her.

"This is the third time!" She complained. "I can't do this."

Kaoru chuckled. He pointed toward his upperclassmen. "Look," he whispered.

Mori had a firm grip around her arm and helped her up to her feet. He switched his arm to the small of her back and waited as she wiped herself off.

"You're just not paying attention," they heard him say.

"I," she stammered, her face fully flushed. "Let's go. I really want to be treated to lunch or a shopping trip!"

Kaoru and Raiden both groaned. They exchanged looks and then laughed.

"We can't let her win," Raiden announced.

"Agreed."

Kaoru and Raiden took off running.

# # #

In the end, Mori and Reina did win. They reached the end of the maze first, followed by Kaoru and Raiden, Kyouya and Hani. Hikaru, Haruhi, and Tamaki came in last.

"Where did you get those flowers?" Haruhi walked up to the only other female there.

Reina gave her roses a quick sniff. "Morinozuka-kun and I found a bunch growing along the bushes. We picked some. They're nice aren't they?"

Haruhi nodded.

"So, Takashi and Reina won!" Hani announced, cheer in his voice. "What do you guys want as a prize?"

"Food!" Reina jumped up and down.

Mori took hold of her arm, making her calm down instantly.

"Let's go out on the town. Shopping and lunch. Yes?" Reina looked on with excitement.

The boys groaned.

* * *

><p>Raiden stood off to the side stiffly. His sister was standing happily next to a street light waiting for the host club to meet them. Toya was standing with them, dancing circles around the siblings.<p>

"Thanks for inviting me," Toya yelled. "I needed a day off."

"Toya calm down," Reina rolled her eyes.

Toya skidded to a stop next to Raiden. "I see them," he pointed down the street. "They always dress so fashionably," he commented.

"You're one to talk. You're always dressed as if you jumped out of a magazine," Raiden retorted.

Toya grinned. "Sometimes I do."

Raiden's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Sometimes I leave work with Hitachiin's clothes. Just because. She yells at me, but I do it anyway," Toya shrugged.

Raiden began to examine the clothes Toya was currently wearing. It did sit on his form tightly and his jeans were tailored perfectly for his legs.

"These are my clothes though," Toya humored him, noticing Raiden's wandering eyes.

Raiden grumbled and looked away.

"Rai-chan!" Hani jumped in front of her. Reina greeted him with an ecstatic wave.

"Hey, Raiden," Kaoru greeted. A large camera hung around his neck.

"Hi, Kaoru," Raiden said, with a smile spreading across his face.

"I thought I'd bring my camera. The weather is nice for my photoshoot today."

Raiden nodded, agreeing.

"I'm heading to Kiddy Land first, boys. If you're interested in tagging along," Reina announced.

"I want to go. I've never been there," Hani insisted. "Let's go, Takashi." He climbed onto his cousin's back and beckoned Reina to lead the way. "Haninozuka-kun, you'll like this store!" Reina's voice echoed.

"Let's follow them," Kaoru whispered.

Raiden followed reluctantly. Toya caught up the rear with Kyouya, Hikaru, Haruhi, and Tamaki.

Tamaki was staring at the stores with an excited eye. Haruhi grumbled to herself and Hikaru teased the host king.

"Hello, Tsukino-senpai," Kyouya greeted.

"Hey, Ootori. How are you this fine Sunday?" Toya walked with long strides. He watched his best friend jump into the store. Hani dropped himself down from his cousins back and they all walked inside.

"I'm fine," Kyouya answered. He watched his upperclassmen gaze around the store and pick up random trinkets.

"Reina seems to have gotten used to life at Ouran," Toya spoke to Kyouya, for only him to hear.

Kyouya's eyebrows rose.

"I think it's because you guys were friends before she arrived. It helps that Haninozuka and Morinozuka are in her class."

"Do you think so?"

Toya and Kyouya finally walked into the store and saw Reina and Hani run up the stairs to the second floor. Mori followed behind silently.

"I'm sure of it."

# # #

Kaoru and Raiden followed his sister onto the next floor. Hani bounded around the floor looking at random things.

Reina and Mori walked off to the side and began to examine various trinkets.

Kaoru raised a finger to his lips, motioning Raiden to be quiet. Raiden followed his directions.

Kaoru walked down toward Reina and Mori. They were too distracted by the Studio Ghibli items on display that they didn't notice their friends easing closer. They were talking softly to each other.

"My favorite is Princess Mononoke," Reina muttered.

Kaoru lifted his camera to his eye and took a picture.

Reina and Mori's conversation wasn't interrupted by the first and subsequent clicks from his camera.

Raiden watched the interactions between Mori and Reina. Since when have they been so close, he wondered.

Toya and Kyouya reached the same floor and noticed the quietness. The previous floor contained Tamaki's running antics and screams.

"Is my brother still downstairs?" Kaoru asked Kyouya. Kyouya nodded. "I'll be right back," He called out. He bounded down the stairs with his camera in his hand.

Raiden stared after him and sighed softly. Toya walked over to him, brushing against his shoulder lightly. "You've gotten taller," he said.

"What?" Raiden faced him. His eyes landing on the model's.

"Your hair is getting longer too," Toya tugged on a lock near his ear. His fingers touched Raiden's neck slightly, causing chills to run up and down Raiden's spine.

Toya looked behind him, focusing on Reina and Mori. She was holding up a large stuffed Totoro.

"You and your sister are starting to look less and less alike," Toya commented.

"Your point?" Raiden crossed his arms.

Toya grinned. "You look handsome today."

Raiden took a step back. He could feel his cheeks starting to heat up. "Stop," he groaned. He pushed Toya away and walked over to his sister.

Once he was standing next to her, she held up the Totoro toy to his face. "What do you think?" she cooed. "It's so cute." She patted the top of it's head.

Raiden agreed.

"Do you want to get crepes for lunch?" Reina asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sure."

# # #

Reina left Kiddy Land with a large Totoro plush toy, a puzzle, a Snoopy t-shirt, and a new phone case. Everything courtesy of Tamaki.

The crowd of teens walked down Omotesando street and toward Takeshita street.

They stopped at a streetlight, waiting for their turn to cross when Reina suddenly stepped away from them.

"Reina?" Toya walked up to her and concentrated on what she was looking at.

"Look at us," she whispered.

They had come across an Hitachiin window ad. Toya and Reina were both pictured on a beach wearing swimwear.

"We look great." Toya pumped his fist into the air.

"It's so weird." Reina took hold of Toya's arm and hid her face in his chest.

The others watched them silently. Toya began to mutter something in her ear.

"He really cares about her doesn't he?" Hani suddenly asked, noting their closeness. He looked at his cousin before turning to Raiden.

Mori stared, no emotion betrayed on his face.

Raiden, however, stared at them in awe. He noticed their closeness and their high degree of comfortability they had with each other. He noticed it before, but never realized how much they utilized it.

She finally let go and let him steer her across the street. The others followed.

"Look at some of the pictures I took," Kaoru caught up to Raiden.

Raiden leaned over Kaoru's shoulder and looked into the camera's digital screen. Kaoru pushed through numerous photos of his brother, Tamaki and Haruhi, Kyouya, Hani and then finally Mori and Reina.

In all his sister's photos, Mori was always pictured with her. There was one in particular that surprised Raiden the most. Reina was looking up at Mori with a small smile and his eyes held a warmth he'd never seen before.

"Wow," he whispered.

"I know," Kaoru whispered back.

"These are great photos."

Kaoru instinctively rolled his eyes.

The teens crossed the street and took the short stride toward Takeshita street. They turned onto the narrow street that was beginning to become crowded with teens and young adults.

"I don't want to stay here long," Kyouya groaned.

"Me either," Toya began to fidget.

Reina led the way to her favorite crepe stand. "Should I order for everyone? Just let me know what you want." She stopped in front of a plastic case with plastic samples of crepes. The others began to call out random responses.

"Oh, and," She eyed Hikaru and Kaoru, "you're footing the bill." She winked and walked off to the clerk with their orders.

Hikaru and Kaoru both goaned.

"I'll go," Hikaru insisted, joining Reina at the counter.

Kaoru and Raiden stood off to the side and waited for Reina and Hikaru to finish their orders.

Kaoru continued to take random photographs.

Raiden watched him amuse himself with the camera. He took pictures of the nearby trees, buildings, their friends, and flowers. Seeing Kaoru so excited made him excited.

Just then a crepe came into view. Fresh strawberries rested on top of vanilla ice cream, all wrapped up in a fresh made crepe. Raiden followed the source, seeing a leather wrist watch wrapped around a very masculine hand, leading up to a muscular forearm and bicep, until reaching the soft chiseled jawline that belonged to known other than Toya.

Amusement dance around in his eyes. "Enjoying the view?"

Raiden grabbed the crepe out of his hold and took a large bite. He looked around for Kaoru. He hadn't noticed that he had already walked off to his brother for his own crepe. Kaoru and Hikaru then began to tease and poke fun at Haruhi. This made Raiden sigh loudly. He slumped down and took a seat on a set of stone stairs leading away from the crepe stall. Toya sat down beside him, enjoying his chocolate crepe.

"You should just tell him already?" Toya licked off chocolate syrup from the corner of his mouth.

"What?" Raiden's voice strained. He took a bite of his crepe, hoping Toya wasn't referring to what he hoped he wasn't.

Toya's eyes crinkled over his crepe. He swallowed his next mouthful before speaking. "You should just confess to him."

"I can't do that, wait," Raiden sputtered. "How do you know?"

Toya chewed slowly. "It's obvious."

"Is it really? Do you think," he hesitated. "Do you think he knows?"

"No. He doesn't." Toya paused to take a last bite of his crepe. "But everyone else does," Toya eyed the hosts. "Except for his brother and the girl. They're just as clueless."

Raiden sighed. He finished his crepe in silence.

Toya crumbled up his wrapper and napkin. "That was delicious."

Raiden looked up and searched for the one person occupying his mind and heart. Kaoru and Hikaru were trying to feed Haruhi their crepes.

"Should I tell him?" Raiden mumbled.

"Hm?" Toya looked up. He was currently examining his bangs. He knocked his knee into Raiden's thigh. "You want to know if you should tell him?"

Raiden nodded slowly. He finished his crepe and folded the wrapper into a small square. "I don't know if I should tell him. Being around him makes me nervous enough. How could I tell him that I…?" Raiden's voice trailed away.

"If you're questioning whether you should confess or not, probably means you shouldn't," Toya said darkly, his eyes narrowed.

Raiden snapped his head in Toya's direction, shock etched on his face. "What do you mean?"

"If you're not sure, it probably means you're not ready for what he's going to say in return," Toya's voice sounded sad.

"I don't know if I want to tell him because I,"

Toya interrupted. "You don't know if he's-"

"No," Raiden groaned. "I've never been in a relationship before," he muttered.

Toya chuckled, he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What's so funny? This is serious." Raiden stood up and began to walk down the stone steps, but Toya grabbed him around the elbow.

"Wait, let me finish."

Raiden dropped himself back onto the steps. Toya released him from his hold, but Raiden could still feel his cold fingers through his sleeve.

"We're not born knowing what to do in relationships. It's all a do and learn type of thing. Do you think your sister knew what she was doing when she was dating Nekozawa?"

Raiden slumped.

"Or with Shizuo?" Toya whispered.

Raiden groaned. "Don't talk about him."

"Why? Your sister loved him." Toya's eyes roved over the vicinity looking for Reina. He found her on the other side of the street with Kyouya. She was wearing sunglasses with the tag still on and holding up a shirt to her chest.

"He broke her heart," Raiden asserted.

"They also loved each other very much." Toya rested his elbows on his knees. "They gave each other everything. I don't think I've ever seen two people so much in love."

"What do you know?" Raiden kicked a rock away. "What did _they _know? It ended anyway."

"They made it work when they were together. That's what is important. It's all a learning process," Toya reasoned.

The two watched as Reina placed oversized sunglasses on Kyouya. They slipped down the bridge of his nose. She gave him a sly smile before dragging him into the store. The racks of clothes obstructed their view.

"Did you learn anything from their relationship?" Raiden asked.

"Oh yeah," Toya sighed happily.

"Really? What?"

Toya faced Raiden, his wide grin taking Raiden by surprise. "I learned that I wanted a love just like theirs."

Toya's sincerity surprised him. He could literally see the want in his eyes.

"Raiden!" Kaoru waved up at them from the bottom of the steps. "Let's go to Meiji Shrine. It's just down the street!"

Raiden felt Toya sigh beside him.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - I'm sorry! I forgot to upload this chapter last week. So special treat - you get two chapters tonight. Yay!

Let me know what you think :) How are you liking the story so far? Ugh, I'm probably going to have to go back and edit the first part of this story soon :|


	19. Chapter 19 - Acknowledgment

Chapter 19 - Acknowledgment

"Tamaki-kun's sick?" Reina looked up from her homework and into the warm brown of Mitsukuni Haninozuka.

He nodded. "Yup, he's not feeling well so we're closing the host club until he returns."

"I see. Well, I hope he gets better soon."

"What are you doing today after school?" Hani continued. "We're going to go visit Tama-chan at his house if you'd like to join us. It's been a few weeks since we've all got together."

"That's true…" Reina grabbed her day planner from her desk and opened it up. She felt Hani's playful fidgets, waiting for his response. She pointed down the list. She wasn't doing anything until seven that night.

"Sure," she said happily. "I'll be happy to go."

"Great!" Hani returned to his seat.

Reina returned to her math homework, finishing up the last problem.

"Hey." A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She glanced up and found Chisaka smiling back.

"Good morning," she greeted in return.

"Are you looking forward to summer break?" He dropped his book bag onto his desk.

"Chisaka, break is still a few weeks away. I needed it to start like yesterday," she almost groaned.

"Yeah? Stressed?" His eyebrows rose in amusement. "Do you any plans?"

"Why? Are you interested in a rematch? We won fair and square, Chisaka," she teased, finishing off her math homework.

"Oh come on," He rolled his eyes playfully, "you girls got lucky at that volleyball game. Didn't they, Morinozuka?"

Chisaka and Reina looked toward Mori who was bent over reading a book. He looked up lazily. "She beat us."

"Ha!" Reina jabbed her finger in the air.

"Whatever, you'll see, next time our p.e. classes get together, we're going to beat you."

"Well, hopefully, it won't be volleyball again."

Chisaka chuckled. "Machida and some guys from 3-B want to head over to the observatory before school gets out. You and Kanan should come. Kuze won't come unless she does and she won't unless you do. What do you say?"

"Wait, what?" She took a double take.

"I'm inviting you down to Machida's family's observatory. It'll be fun. His uncle is running some experiments of some sort. We want to try and go the weekend of the big meteor shower. I thought you might be interested." Chisaka shrugged.

"I-"

"Didn't you say you were interested in space just a few days ago? Machida's uncle is an astrophysicist. I'm sure you can ask him some questions."

She looked at him in surprise, "What? Really? An actual astrophysicist?"

Chisaka nodded.

"That sounds exciting. I'll try to make it. I'll let you know?"

"Sure." Chisaka turned around stiffly in his seat.

Reina began to take out her textbooks from her book bag, while Hani and Mori watched on with amusement and confusion respectively.

* * *

><p>Raiden looked around the corner of the third year's corridor. He searched around for any sign of his sister and jumped behind the pillar once he found her.<p>

"What are you doing?"

"Huh!?" Raiden braced himself against the wall, but immediately relaxed when he realized it was just Haruhi, Kaoru, and Hikaru. They settled along the wall and looked around the corner as well.

"Are you spying on Rei-senpai?" Hikaru asked.

"Erm, yeah." Raiden returned to his scouting.

He found his sister standing next to a large window and chatting with Kanan, Kuze, and presumably another one of her classmates.

"Who is that guy over there?" Raiden whispered.

"Chisaka?" Kaoru mouthed. "That's Daisuke Chisaka. He's captain of the basketball club. His father runs a successful advertising company."

"Actually, our mother uses a lot of Chisaka's family's resources for her adverts," Hikaru added.

"So, he's Chisaka."

They watched the third years interact a little more until Reina began to walk away with Kanan.

Raiden saw this as his cue to leave and began to make his way down to the cafeteria.

"You're still spying on her?" Haruhi asked.

"Uh, well," Raiden paused. How was he supposed to explain it to them?

"Yeah. I mean, sure she's socializing more with other people, but that doesn't mean you need to spy on her," Kaoru surprisingly defended her.

"So you think she's socializing more too?" Raiden questioned.

"Well, sure." Hikaru and Kaoru both shrugged.

"She's not usually like this. _I think_. She keeps to herself mostly, but ever since she started attending Ouran, she's been a lot friendlier with people. It's weird."

"I think my sister is doing something. I'm positive it has something to do with my grandfather, because why else would she drive away in one of his cars."

"I don't know," Hikaru offered, clearly not interested.

Raiden contemplated silently. They walked down to the cafeteria in relative silence. The twins and Haruhi had short conversations here and there, but Raiden ignored them. His sister and her actions were on his mind.

"Hey, do you want to go to milord's house after school today?" Kaoru asked.

"Tamaki-senpai? Why?"

"Because he's sick. We're going to go cheer him up."

"Tamaki-senpai's sick?"

###

"Okay, now I see why you guys were so shocked by my house. It's a poor man's palace compared to this." Reina stared up Suoh Mansion #2. "I didn't know people actually lived in mansions," she mumbled.

"This way, Rei-chan," Hani ignored her comments and dragged her away toward the front door. Mori followed close behind.

They met with Hikaru, Kaoru, Raiden and Haruhi in the entry hall.

"Hey, guys," Reina quickly greeted.

They heard a ruckus coming from upstairs.

Reina quickly eyed Hikaru and Kaoru. The three of them sprinted upstairs, followed by Kyouya, Hani, and Mori. Raiden and Haruhi took their time.

The teens walked into the room and found Tamaki in the arms of his servants, trying to take his clothes off.

"Whoa, strip tease, much," Reina drawled.

Tamaki began to blush. "We'll help you!" Hikaru and Kaoru began to help him out of his clothes.

Mori turned Reina's body away from the scene, making her face his chest instead of Tamaki. She couldn't help but chuckle.

Kyouya relayed to the servants that they had everything under control and led them out the room.

With Tamaki's pajama pants almost off, Haruhi and Raiden finally made it to the bedroom.

"Oh?" Haruhi chimed. "Sorry, please take your time." She and Raiden turned back around and closed the door.

Tamaki glared at the twins. "You did that on purpose!" He proceeded to faint onto his bed.

"My brother didn't even see me," Reina quickly muttered, blushing, and feeling Mori's touch burn through her sleeves.

The twins finished dressing him and settled him on top a long sofa. After, they began to rummage through his belongings.

The twins and Raiden were looking over Tamaki's commoner snack scrapbook, while Haruhi, Reina, and Mori were looking at Tamaki's small toy collection.

"Wow, he has so many," Reina commented. "They're adorable."

The twins eyed their friends curiously.

"Hey," Hikaru whispered. "Do you think Mori-senpai has a fetish for small things? I mean look at Hani-senpai."

"He's like that with Haruhi too," Kaoru added.

Raiden looked at them with confusion.

Hikaru and Kaoru took a quick glance at Raiden and then Reina, before Hikaru whispered, "looks like Rei-senpai is out of luck. She's not small at all. She's too tall."

"What are you guys talking about?" Raiden droned.

"Oh come on," Hikaru began.

"Haven't you noticed?" Kaoru finished.

"Noticed what?"

The twins grinned, but shrugged his question off. Raiden scrunched up his face and groaned.

Tamaki suddenly jumped from his seat and stumbled toward Haruhi. "Do you like these? You can have them!" He began to move a miniature furniture series into a medium sized box.

"No, it's okay, Tamaki-senpai. Really," Haruhi heeded.

"No! You can have them." He picked up the box and began to hand it over. Before she had a good grasp on the box, Tamaki flung it away and began to panic.

Haruhi and Mori knelt down to pick up the small items.

"Tamaki-kun?" Reina looked on with concern.

"Tama-chan, your face is red!"

"It's no use!" Tamaki doubled over and wobbled toward his bedroom. "My heart is pounding and my chest hurts."

"Do you want us to call a doctor?" Hani asked, his concern audible in his voice.

"No, it's okay. I'm just a pervert."

"Ha! So you knew!" Hikaru teased.

Tamaki whined and threw himself onto his bed.

"Honored guests, tea has been served in the sitting room," the head housekeeper announced.

The teens moved into the sitting room and settled down on the plush sofas. Another servant cut and served them some cake to go along with their tea.

"It looks delicious." Reina thanked the servant quietly and took a small plate into her hand.

"The snacks are so yummy!" Hani determined, a happy grin spreading on his face.

Raiden sat down next to his sister right when she began to eat her slice of cake. "This is delicious," she mumbled in his direction.

"Yeah?" He picked up a slice and began to eat the strawberry toppings. He took a forkful into his mouth and almost moaned in pleasure.

"Told you."

Raiden shrugged and nudged his sister in the shoulder.

Reina finished her plate of cake and placed the now empty dish on the low table before them. The twins, Haruhi, and Raiden were chatting amongst themselves and Hani was having a one sided conversation with Mori.

She noticed Kyouya lingering near a window, staring down, into what she believed was the garden. She stood up from her seat as quietly as she could and took light steps over in his direction.

"Kyouya?"

He turned around slowly, slight surprise etched around his eyes. "Senpai?"

"I, um," She moved her gaze out the window as well. "Tamaki-kun was acting a little strange, wasn't he?"

"Do you think so?" He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the wall next to the window.

"Yes? Maybe?" She shifted her eyes between him and the garden, finally settling on the garden. She crossed her arms over her chest instinctively, resting her hands on either elbow.

"You're quite the secret holder yourself, Rei-senpai," Kyouya said softly, making sure she was the only one to hear.

She snapped her head in his direction and saw no hint of malice or threats in his eyes or composure. "What are you getting at?"

He shrugged innocently. "Nothing. You seem to have picked up on something even Tamaki hasn't acknowledged and yet here you stand, not ready to give acknowledgement to the people around you on your own secrets."

Her eyes narrowed. "Kyouya, what do you know?"

"I know nothing," he returned. "No more than you're letting on."

She inched closer. "Kyouya-"

"I've never heard you call me by my name without any honorific attached to it. It sounds nice," he teased, leaning forward.

She stepped back, feeling heat pooling in her cheeks. "Shut up. Why are you being so-" she whined.

She stopped once she bumped into something firm and warm. She turned around and found Mori standing directly behind her.

"Whatcha guys talking about?" Hani bounded toward them, looking out the window as well.

"Summer vacation plans," Kyouya made up on the spot. "Reina was just telling me she was invited to go to Machida-senpai's family observatory. That sounds exciting."

Hani eyes shifted between the two, an inquisitive look in his eye. "Yeah, I was there when Chisaka invited her. Are you going to go, Rei-chan?"

Reina's eyes lingered on Kyouya's a moment longer, before releasing them and concentrating on Hani. "I'm considering it. Chisaka said I could invite someone to join me if I'd like. Would you or Morinozuka-kun like to go?" Reina looked behind her quickly. Mori was still standing there. "I know I'd feel more comfortable with you two there."

"It sounds like fun. Doesn't it, Takashi?"

Mori nodded.

"We'll see?" Hani peaked at Reina from beneath his bangs.

She nodded in understanding. She looked toward Kyouya once more. He held a knowing smirk on his face and she couldn't help feeling a chill run down her spine.

* * *

><p>"Nee-chan, come on." Raiden dragged his sister away from her classroom and followed the host club toward the first year classrooms.<p>

"What's going on?" She demanded, trying to release her arm from her brother's hold. The last thing she wanted was to confront the host club and Kyouya. He had irked her to no end the last time she saw him.

He let go immediately. "A girl from 1-D cursed Hani-senpai."

"Cursed? That can't be. Why would anyone curse Haninozuka-kun?"

"That's what we're going to find out."

They all stopped outside class 1-D. Tamaki and the twins peered into the classroom and Reina looked in as best she could over their shoulders, ignoring Kyouya. The others took turns.

"Kasanoda-kun is in there," she noted.

They watched the girl hand Kasanoda a cursed doll and walk away.

"What is going on?" Reina asked.

"That's Reiko Kanazuki and she's the girl who's placed a curse on Hani-senpai," Hikaru explained.

"I'll have a talk with her." Mori began to loosen his tie and a dark look flashed across his face.

"Mori-senpai!"

"Morinozuka-kun!"

The twins and Reina held him back.

"You see…" Nekozawa cooed behind them, making Tamaki jump in surprise. "You really should not interfere with curses."

"Hello, Umehito-kun," Reina greeted her friend with a smile. He responded with a bow.

"But why me?" Hani cried out.

Nekozawa turned his attention to his classmate. "Don't you remember Haninozuka-kun…? Kanazuki-kun claims you captured her soul, here," he brought out a small object. "This is proof."

He held a small eraser in his palm. He moved the wrapper away and revealed Hani's name written neatly on top. "She's using curses to enact revenge on you."

Hikaru took a hold of the eraser. "I don't think this is-"

"Look at her hand mirror." Nekozawa brought out another object from his pocket and the teens gazed at it. Hani's full name written neatly on it with pink nail polish.

Reina giggled slightly. Raiden tried not not laugh.

"This isn't a curse," Reina droned.

Nekozawa held out a book. "It is," he defended. The title of the book said, _Girls in Love with His Love Spell Book_.

"Oh god." Raiden rolled his eyes.

"It is a curse." Reiko appeared before them, startling them all. Reina held on to her brother's arm.

"Haninozuka-san, great timing." She moved in his direction and plucked a hair from his head, making him cry out slightly. She took one of her own and tied them together. "Now our souls will be intertwined."

Reina scratched her head nervously.

"Er, could it be that you actually like Hani-senpai?" Tamaki tried to reason.

"Technically, he stole my soul," Reiko said with an impassive gaze etched on her face.

"So...you're stealing his heart?" Tamaki continued cautiously.

"If I had to explain it," Reiko added, "Haninozuka-san takes up 90% of my thoughts and he makes my heart race. His appearance matches my preferences. So, until I capture his soul, I'll continue cursing him." She giggled almost evilly and walked away into her classroom.

The Moriyama siblings took a large gulp of air. Reina's eyes glanced quickly toward Mori. While, Raiden looked in Kaoru's direction.

###

Reina walked down to the cafeteria with Mori on one side and Hani on the other. Hani was pouting and holding his bunny tightly in his chest.

"Um," Reina mumbled. She tugged on Mori's sleeve.

He moved his eyes slowly to hers.

"How is Haninozuka-kun? Is he okay?"

Mori shrugged. "It's weird."

The third years sat down together at a near empty table. Reina sat across from Mori.

"Haninozuka-san," Reiko appeared by Hani's side. He jumped in his seat. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Uh, sure."

Reiko set her tray down and split apart her pair of chopsticks.

"You're eating soba?" Hani asked.

"Yes." She placed the chopsticks down on the table. "If I write my name and your name on these chopsticks…" she trailed away.

Reina eyed Mori. He returned her gaze, but moved them back to his food.

Reina ate in silence and began to think about Kanazuki's attempts to win Hani's heart. She admired the young girl for giving it a try. She was a lot more confident than the teenagers she's run into. Some are too afraid to confess.

Reina laughed silently, remembering Kanazuki hadn't really confessed or claimed to be in love, but Reina knew she was. That's what made it all the more sweeter.

She looked around the lunch room and saw Tamaki and Kyouya walking toward the lunch line. It's been almost a week since her visit to Tamaki's home and she's avoided Kyouya the best she could.

Kyouya always made her nervous, she reminded herself. But it wasn't the kind of nervous that unnerved her, it was a 'he's too handsome' kind of nervous.

Now, he was making her nervous because he seemed to know something she wasn't ready to admit to anyone yet. She returned her attention to her food.

After taking a few bites, she looked up briefly and found Mori looking right at her. She gasped slightly and stared back at her food. She felt her cheeks heat up and sighed in frustration. Mori was constantly making her nervous and that irritated her. Just one stray look from him made her heart hurt. Why was everyone making her nervous, she began to demand in her mind.

"Rei-chan," Hani caught her attention. "Are you still going stargazing this coming weekend?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "I'm excited. We're going on saturday."

"Do you remember asking us if we'd join you?"

"Yes," she continued excitedly.

"Takashi and I decided to go! Should we drive there together or meet there?"

"Oh, really?" She started enthusiastically. "You're really going?"

Hani nodded happily.

"That's great! Um, I can go to your house if you'd like and we can carpool," she offered.

"Sounds great! I'll give you my address later."

###

"Hey, Hanino...zuka…-kun," Reina trailed. Her classmate's eyes looked lifeless as he took another bite of cake.

She just arrived at the host club with Raiden and hoped to get her cute classmate's home address before leaving campus for the day.

"Is he alright?" Raiden asked, concerned.

"He looks tired," Reina whispered.

The two siblings walked over to the cousins.

Reina offered her best comforting smile and tried to ignore Kyouya's heavy presence coming closer.

"Hani-senpai," the dark lord began, "would you like me to do something? The club sales are going down. I don't mind…"

"It's okay," Hani's soft voice interrupted. "I've been watching her and I've noticed she doesn't really have any friends outside the black magic club. Maybe she's just bad at communicating and uses curses to..."

"Haninozuka-san," Reiko appeared in the club room and walked at a brisk pace over to where Hani was sitting.

"I'd like to borrow your rabbit, if that's okay." She plucked it out of her hands. "I'll return it tomorrow. I just need to place a curse on a special item."

"No!" Hani cried out. "Not, Bun-Bun, please!"

"It's fine, I'll return it tomorrow."

Mori suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder and snatched the stuffed rabbit out of her arms. "If you want to capture his heart, there are other ways of accomplishing that," he said darkly.

"I'll put a curse on you," she said simply, "please give me the stuffed rabbit."

Reina moved herself closer to her brother instinctively. She felt him take hold of her hand.

"Mitsukuni won't fall for people who don't think of other people's feelings," Mori replied, handing the rabbit back to his cousin. "Even if curses are used."

Reina looked between Mori and Hani, noting the taller one's seriousness.

"You don't understand," Reiko looked down. "I don't expect to be liked or anything and I can't talk to him directly so I used curses from the beginning."

Hani took a step closer to her. "No, Kanazuki-chan. You need to talk to people to understand them. If you want to be liked, you need to talk to them."

Raiden suddenly glanced in Kaoru's direction.

Hani continued. "I don't want my feelings controlled by a curse. I want to get to know you naturally, Kanazuki-chan." He gave her a small smile. "Even if they're not good at it, I like people who put in the effort."

Reina felt her brother loosen from their hasty grip and watched him walk toward the twins.

Hani walked off with Reiko to the sofa he and Mori usually used during host hours.

She was left standing with Kyouya and an expressionless Morinozuka.

"Senpai," Kyouya greeted, a fake grin plastered on his face.

"I know your grins are fake, Kyouya," she retorted more harshly than she intended, but continued the farce.

Mori looked on with confusion. Since when did she address him by just his first name, he wondered.

"What brings you to the host club? I'm sure you have _business_ to attend too," Kyouya added.

"Actually, I came to see Haninozuka-kun, but he," she stopped and looked around Kyouya's figure to her classmate who was happily eating cake with Reiko. "He's busy at the moment."

"Is this about Saturday?" Mori spoke.

Kyouya's eyebrows perked up in question. He glanced between his upperclassmen.

Reina smiled suddenly at the sound of his voice. "Yeah. I wanted to get his address."

"I'll give it to you," Mori offered. He stuck his hand in his pocket and seemed to be searching for something.

"Here," Kyouya handed him his notepad and pen.

Mori nodded slightly and began scribbling down on the offered paper. Once he was finished, he ripped the top sheet off, folded it, and then handed it to Reina, before handing the notepad and pen back to Kyouya.

"Thanks."

Mori nodded.

Reina took a deep breath. "Well, I'll be going then."

Mori nodded again and began to walk toward his cousin.

"Would you like another escort, Rei-senpai?" Kyouya offered.

Mori stopped suddenly and turned to his friends, listening.

Reina's eyes immediately narrowed. "You know what," she crossed her arms over her chest. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Let's go." She moved for the door, not waiting for Kyouya to follow.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> Here's the second chapter for tonight. Let me know what you guys thought. I'm always open for suggestions (just fyi). If you want to see something (i'll consider putting it in!), if something confused you (that might happen), etc.

I was wondering - do you guys seen Reina ending up with anyone from the host club? or from Ouran for that matter? Do you want to see her with someone?


	20. Chapter 20 - Chase You Down

Chapter 20 - Chase You Down

"_Where are you going?" he asked. _

"_Stargazing."_

"_With who?"_

"_Morinozuka-kun and Haninozuka-kun and some classmates."_

"_What?!"_

Her short conversation with her little brother was straight to the point and humorous in her own opinion, she thought as she knocked on the large door separating her from the Haninozuka estate.

Akihiko was more than willing to push her out the house, stating she needed to hang out with friends more, which she agreed. Although, she was more than happy to spend time with Hani and Mori, she agreed to this outing for more selfish reasons.

The door opened to a brown haired teen with glasses.

"Hey, Yasuchika-kun," Reina greeted with a wave.

Yasuchika blushed lightly. "Moriyama-senpai. I was expecting you." He moved past the door and closed it behind him.

"I came to pick up Haninozuka-kun and-"

"and Takashi, right?" Yasuchika interrupted. "My brother is at his house. I'll walk you there." He walked past her and out the outer gates of his family estate. Reina jogged to catch up to him.

"It's good to see you again, Yasuchika-kun. You're looking well."

"Thank you," he replied curtly, "you look healthy as well."

"Thank you." She stepped lightly beside him and watched the street around her. It was fairly silent and devoid of any human existence.

"Moriyama-senpai-"

"Oh, you don't need to be so formal with me, Yasuchika-kun," she affirmed, smiling in his direction.

He blushed again. "Right, um, Reina-senpai," he tried out. "My brother and cousin don't usually go out with people other than the host club."

"Really?"

Yasuchika nodded. He stopped in front of a gate and pushed it open, letting her pass before him. He led her to the front door. "Yes, but when I heard it was you-"

"What about me?" she questioned.

"Well, they seem fond of you," Yasuchika explained tersely. He reached the front door and opened it without any pause. "Takashi! Mitsukuni! Reina-senpai is here!"

He removed in shoes in the entryway and Reina did the same. They moved down the hall into a larger meeting room.

"Wow, it's beautiful in here. Is your estate similar?"

"Practically."

"Rei-senpai!" Satoshi ran toward her. He jumped onto her like an eager puppy and squeezed her tight. "I hope Yasuchika is being a gentleman."

"He's been very kind," she reassured. "You have a wonderful home," she noted, looking around at the wood flooring and sturdy walls covered in ink paintings.

"Thanks!"

"Satoshi," a deep voice echoed around them.

Reina jumped slightly. Mori appeared from down the hall, dressed casually. He have Satoshi a warning look.

"Hey," she mumbled. "I have a car waiting outside."

He nodded. "Mitsukuni isn't coming."

"What?"

"He says he's sick," Mori turned his head to look at something down the hall.

"I am sick!" Hani's voice traveled toward them. They heard him fake a cough.

Reina let out a small laugh. "Are you okay with leaving him? He is _sick_. I don't think it's wise to leave him alone."

"He's got me!" Satoshi butted in. He gripped Yasuchika in his arms, "and Chika here. We'll take care of him, you two go on your date."

"What?" She squealed, she felt heat pool in her cheeks. "We're not… it's not a date."

Mori ran his fingers through his hair.

Yasuchika rolled his eyes.

"Really?" Satoshi stared at them wide eyed. "I was so sure it was a date. Mitsukuni came over early and practically laid out what he wanted Taka to wear."

Reina moved her eyes slowly in Mori's direction, but he ignored her gaze.

"Let's just go," he muttered. He pushed Reina away from his brother and younger cousin and helped her out the front door.

"Bye, Taka!" Satoshi waved at them. "Have fun!"

Reina and Mori walked down the path away from the Morinozuka estate in silence. Reina forgot to breathe and didn't take a breath until she exited the grounds.

Tetsuya and one of her grandfather's cars was waiting before them. Tetsuya stood by the passenger door, holding it open for the teens.

Mori gestured for her to sit down before him. She obliged and slid into the car and elegantly as she could. He followed her inside.

Reina quickly told Tetsuya the address to Machida's family estate. When she settled back into her seat and fastened her seat belt, she felt Mori stiffen on the other end of the seat.

She looked out the window. This was going to be more awkward than it should be, she thought to herself.

###

The ride to Machida's home was a good forty minutes and they've been silent for the past fifteen. She didn't know how long she could hold out. Is this how the rest of the evening was going to go about? If so, she just wanted to let the ground swallow her hole.

A soft sounding phone jingle began to ring. She immediately looked over to Mori and he returned her gaze reluctantly.

He shrugged. "It's you."

"What?" The ring was followed by a loud vibration sound, which she felt on her hip. She slid down in her seat at the tingling sensation. She jammed her hand into her jeans pocket and grabbed her phone, answering it quickly.

"What?" she growled in frustration.

Mori looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"I told you," she said more softly, "I'm spending the evening with some classmates."

Mori watched her drum a finger against the leather seat.

"Who do you think I'm going with? _Friends_. I'm going with friends."

Mori's eyes trailed away from her finger, past her wrist and up her arm to her bare shoulders. Wouldn't she get cold, he wondered to himself.

"I would have thought this would be a _wonderful _opportunity for me to mingle with my fellow classmates," she said mockingly, as if she had rehearsed the line.

Mori's eyes settled on the side of her face. He watched as her eyes shifted around, concentrating once on her jean clad knees and then to the headrest of the seat in front of her.

As if sensing his examination of her, she took a quick glance in his direction. Instead of quickly looking away, to his surprise, she gave him a small smile.

"I think I'm done with this conversation. I'll see you tomorrow." She rolled her eyes. She remained silent, listening to the person on the other line. "You can text and call all you want, I'm not going to answer. Today is for me. Goodbye."

She moved her phone away from her ear and hung up. She let out a long breath. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it."

"Hey," She moved in her seat to face him. "Do you think Haninozuka-kun and Reiko will start dating eventually?"

He was taken aback by her question. "I'm not sure."

"It would be cute, wouldn't it? They're very different though."

Mori nodded in agreement. He was about to look away, but saw a question hovering in her expression. "What?"

"I, no nothing," she stammered. She looked away. A grin was on her face.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Kaoru waved.<p>

"Hey…?" Raiden stared in surprise.

"Are you going to let us in?" Hikaru neared the door.

"Uh, yeah." Raiden moved away to let them walk through the door. He led them past the entryway and down the hall to the living room, where he was currently situated.

Hikaru and Kaoru dropped their backpacks on the floor next to the table and sat down. Raiden sat down on the other side.

"Thanks for coming by. I didn't think you'd take me up on the offer." Raiden moved some of his papers to give the twins some more room. His sister had insisted he invite some "friends" over to hang out, but he wasn't sure they would come at all.

"Of course! We need to study too," Hikaru defended. "Finals are coming up."

"Raiden!" Akihiko suddenly walked in. He was finishing the last button on his dress shirt. "Oh! Hitachiin brothers. Welcome back," he greeted the twins quickly. He looked back at his brother. "I'm heading out now. Be good while I'm gone, please? Remember, Reina won't be back until at least two or three in the morning."

"You dyed your hair?" Kaoru asked.

"Uh, yeah." Akihiko fingered his brown locks. "I'll see you tomorrow, Raiden."

"Yeah, bye."

Akihiko left without another word. They teens didn't speak until they heard the front door slam shut.

"Where's Rei-senpai?" Kaoru asked excitedly. "Why isn't she coming back until three in the morning?!"

"Right!" Hikaru jumped on the bandwagon, "where is she?"

"She's gone stargazing with Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai."

"What?!" The twins leaned forward.

"She went stargazing with some classmates and Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai are tagging along."

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged knowing looks.

"What?" Raiden asked, annoyed.

"Have you noticed how close Rei-senpai and Mori-senpai have been lately?"

"They're classmates now. It was bound to happen," Raiden reasoned.

"Sure, but…"

Kaoru picked up where his brother left off, "don't you think there's something more behind it?"

"I don't think so. They're just friends."

The twins shrugged.

"Raiden?" Hikaru caught his attention. "Did you know Reina dropped her fake modeling identity? She's modeling as herself now."

"What? Really?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, take a look." He took a magazine out from his book bag and handed it to his friend.

"I thought you knew already," Kaoru took a notebook out of his bag. "One of the street ads we saw when we were shopping was brand new. Reina was herself in it."

Raiden picked up the magazine and looked into the eyes of his sister, now posing without her eye contacts and different colored hair extensions.

Reina and Toya were laying across the ground, Toya lying on top of her. They both looked at the camera seductively.

"Wow…" Raiden blushed at the sight.

"There's a larger spread inside."

"What is my sister doing?" Raiden mumbled. He flipped the glossy magazine open and flipped toward the back where the Hitachiin spread was. He looked at various pages of his sister and Toya modeling Hitachiin's latest collection.

"She looks great," Kaoru said simply.

"This is unexpected." Raiden closed the magazine. "My sister seems to be doing so many unexpected things."

"Why do you say that?" Kaoru asked.

"First she's riding around in one of my grandfather's cars. Second, she has her own driver. And third, she's started talking to more people at school. She leaves right after club activities or even ditches them completely and she gets home late."

"Really?" asked Kaoru.

Raiden nodded.

"That day, after the tournament, I bought some magazines. I found a few articles about my grandfather's company," he said almost solemnly.

"And?" Hikaru pushed.

"I think my grandfather's company is losing money or maybe it's at risk of going bankrupt. The articles I read all references 'restructuring'."

"'Restructuring'?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked at once.

Raiden nodded. "But I don't know what that means or refers too, but my sister is a part of it. That, I think I'm sure of…"

Kaoru and Hikaru exchanged looks. "We should look it up."

* * *

><p>"Machida-san!" Reina called up the railing.<p>

Reina and Mori arrived at the Machida family estate and walked in comfortable silence toward the observatory that was on the edge of the grounds.

Their uncomfortable car ride was behind them. After her phone call, they held a casual conversation on topics from Hani's love life and her new magazine spread.

"Moriyama!" Machida leaned stepped out of the observatory and over the railing. "Morinozuka!" Machida waved. "Kanan and Kuze are down there," he pointed to an open door a few feet away from Reina and Mori.

"We'll be down in a few," Machida yelled down.

Reina and Mori walked into the bottom deck of the observatory.

"Hey, Kanan!" Reina waved to her friend.

Kanan was sitting next to Kuze on rounded sofa chairs in front of a large ceiling to floor window.

"Reina, you made it." Kanan sauntered over to the newcomers. She eyed Mori curiously. "Mori-kun. It's good to see you."

He gave curt nod.

"It's so late. Is everyone even here yet?"

"Nope," Kanan shook her head. "Hayashi and a few others are joining us."

"Okay."

Kanan led Reina and Mori over toward where she and Kuze were sitting. Kanan pointed to a fruit platter on a low table and told them to help themselves.

"Moriyama," Kuze stood from his seat. "I wasn't expecting you here." He reached his arm over and gave Mori's hand a firm shake.

Mori shrugged his shoulders.

"You two here together?" Kuze asked, stuffing a strawberry into his mouth.

"Yeah." Reina sat down next to Kanan and picked a lone cherry.

"_Together_, together?" Kuze sat back down.

Mori sat down across from him.

"What?" Reina asked.

Mori looked down at his feet.

"Takeshi," Kanan nudged her fiance. "Don't tease them."

"What are you talking about?" Reina asked again, oblivious.

Kuze chuckled, shaking his head.

Reina shot Kanan a questioning look, but Kanan simply shook her head.

"Reina!" Chisaka ran down a circular set of stairs and skipped onto the floor.

"Hello, Chisaka."

Machida followed behind him. "Welcome, I'm glad you guys made it."

Reina stood from her seat. "Thank you for letting us come, Machida-san."

Chisaka stopped suddenly.

Machida stopped next to Reina. He towered over her alarmingly. He stood almost as tall as Mori.

"You play baseball, right?" Reina suddenly asked.

Machida nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Why are you so tall?"

Machida shrugged playfully. "I don't know." He turned to his friend.

Chisaka was staring, not at Machida or Reina, but at something past Reina's shoulders.

"Chisaka," Machida mumbled, and nudged his friend in the shoulder.

"Oh!" Chisaka's eyes settled on Reina's. "I'm glad you made it." He made a move to hug her, wrapping one arm around her tightly.

He let go just as quickly.

"Well, thank you for inviting me."

"Hey, Morinozuka," Chisaka greeted dully.

They were all silent for a few moments before Machida spoke again. "More of our classmates should be joining us soon. Some people from 3-B and 3-C should be coming too, but since you guys got here first you all have first dibs on food and blankets!"

Machida waved excitedly at them and then left for the door to go greet whoever arrived next.

Chisaka turned his attention back to Reina. He took her arm gently. "Do you want to go see the telescope. Machida's uncle already has it set on one of the things he's researching."

"Really?" She let him pull her closer.

"Yeah. He's excited to meet you, by the way."

"What? No way."

Chisaka pulled Reina away from the jumble of teens around the sofa and led her toward the spiral stairs. His animated voice overwhelming hers.

"Yeah, Machida and I told him about you."

Kuze, Kanan, and Mori watched from the sofas.

Kuze let out a short laugh. Kanan nudged him in the shoulder again.

"What?" Kuze growled, but held a smile on his face.

"Don't," she said in a warning tone.

Mori sat down across from them, glancing between his retreating classmates and the ones sitting before him, knowing whatever it was they were insinuating dealt with Chisaka and Reina.

Kuze returned his gaze. "Come on man, can't you see it?"

Mori remained silent.

"Reina hasn't noticed either, you know," Kanan mumbled to her fiance, but Mori could hear her. "Or maybe she doesn't want to notice."

Kuze shot a quick glance at Chisaka and then Mori. "He's got it hard for her."

Kanan could tell Mori was still confused. "Chisaka likes Reina. He's had a crush on her for years. It's a little pitiful actually," Kanan giggled, "but I think he believes he has another chance."

* * *

><p>Raiden began fiddling around with his brother's laptop.<p>

Kaoru and Hikaru were currently knocking heads over their fashion magazines, but were ready for anything Raiden was ready to dish out.

He was thankful for their presence. It was close to midnight and he would much rather be with friends then alone in the empty house.

He opened a new browser window and went straight to the search engine. He typed in his grandfather's company's name, _Yama Inc_.

He was startled by all the news articles relating back to the company and restructuring.

"Hey, guys," Raiden whispered.

The twins heads immediately shot up. They noticed his distracted gaze on the screen and immediately scooted over to his side. "What is it?" Hikaru inquired.

"It's not bankruptcy. I think my grandfather is getting bought out. _Terra Lux_. It's an English private equity firm."

"Buy out? Are you serious?" Hikaru looked over his shoulder.

"I thought Yama Group was one of the most successful real estate development companies in Japan," Kaoru worded.

"I thought so too, but it looks like they're not doing very good."

Raiden scrolled down the page, reading various headlines.

_Yama Inc. Searching For New Management?  
>One of the Richest Companies Might Be the Poorest<em>

_New Faces Bring Hope to Failing Company_

"Wait," Hikaru pointed at the screen. "Isn't that Rei-senpai?"

Raiden inched closer and then took a deep breath. He clicked the link. The new page held a five page article detailing the current status of his grandfather's company.

The first picture, the picture that led them to the article, was of his own sister standing next to his uncle and shaking the hands of an elderly woman.

"Your sister _is _working with your grandfather…" Kaoru said out loud, giving Raiden a chance to finally hear it verbalized.

_His sister is working with his grandfather._ The one man she hates the most.

* * *

><p>Mori stepped onto the top platform and walked silently toward Reina. She was gazing through the large telescope.<p>

He didn't notice the man sitting next to her until he peeked around the telescope.

"Oh, hello," he called.

Reina looked up and smiled at Mori. She beckoned him with a wave. "Is the meteor shower going to start soon?"

Now standing next to her, he nodded.

"Oh, look through this telescope before we head down, yeah? It's incredible."

She stood from her seat and pushed him into it.

"Is this Morinozuka-kun?" The mans asked, his eyes bright with interest.

Reina nodded happily. "Yes, we came here together." She looked to her friend. "Machida-san has been telling me about his research. It's all incredible really. But, I've determined astrophysics might be too much for me to handle."

"Why?" Mori suddenly asked. "You're good at it."

She pushed him to the telescope again. "Yes, but maybe I'll just be an enthusiast. Anyhow, there are other things on my plate."

She turned her attention to their host. "Thank you for allowing us to use your observatory."

"It's my pleasure." The elder Machida stood from his seat and moved to another desk with a few computer monitors littering the top.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Reina whispered.

Mori felt the tickle of her breath on his cheek. He nodded. He shifted slightly and continued to look through the telescope, his gaze concentrated on a sea of stars.

They were silent a few minutes longer. Mori sat back and stood up from his seat.

"Ready?" She asked.

They trotted down the stairs and saw dozens of their classmates walking about the observatory and heading outdoors.

"Wow, Machida practically invited the whole third year class. Oh, we're not going to get blankets."

"I have them." Mori held up a bundle.

"Were you holding that this whole time?"

Mori nodded. He and Reina walked out the observatory without another glance and began walking across the field. They walked in between groups of students already laid out on the lawn.

They walked further and further away from the observatory and passed more students.

"Reina!" Kanan waved to them. She and Kuze were sitting together, a little ways away from other students.

Mori and Reina jogged over to them.

"Do you want to watch next to us?" Kanan offered.

Reina looked to Mori for silent permission. He shrugged.

Together they laid out a large blanket and settled on top of it. Mori set another blanket on the floor next to them.

Reina stretched herself on the blanket. "It's so clear tonight. I'm glad."

Mori settled himself next to her.

The first streak of light flashed across the sky.

Reina gasped and instinctively scooted closer to her companion. "It's starting."

Mori let her mold into her side, he moved his arm behind her head and let her rest on top it.

He felt her shiver beside him. He knew she would be cold. He reached out for the extra blanket he brought and stretched it over her body.

"Oh, thanks," she whispered.

They settled back into silence. They could hear Kanan and Kuze whispering to each other.

"There are so many stars. It's breathtaking," she breathed. "It's so bright and beautiful and-"

"Romantic," Kanan giggled.

Kanan's comment caused Reina and Mori to blush.

* * *

><p>The following Monday, Raiden sped walked toward the second year classrooms, looking for the one person who could investigate into people's lives, but remain invisible.<p>

"Kyouya-senpai?"

Raiden stopped him before Kyouya walked into his classroom.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Kyouya pulled him off to the side and stopped next to a large window. "What is this about?"

"It's my sister."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

Raiden was surprised by his response, but ignored it. "She's definitely working for my grandfather."

Kyouya remained silent.

"But there's something happening within my grandfather's company." He quieted down and looked around briefly, making sure no one was listening in. "I think it's at risk of being bought out."

Kyouya's eyebrows perked at the last comment. "You think?"

"Yes, but I don't know what that means for my sister. I know you do stuff for your father...and his image right?" Raiden hoped he worded that right.

Kyouya placed a hand on his hip. "Yes."

"Do you think you can keep an eye out for my sister? Just see what she's up too. I'd really appreciate it."

"Are you sure your sister would want you to do this?" Kyouya took a brief glance outside.

"No. She'd get mad, but I just want to know why she's doing what she's doing. Never in a million years would she work with him willingly. Now, I just want to know why."

"I see."

"Please, senpai," Raiden pleaded.

Kyouya sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

Raiden knew he could count on Kyouya. He trusted him enough not to tell the others what he requested and he was great at keeping secrets. Now if only he could get to the bottom of this mystery as well.

* * *

><p>A.N. - Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought :D<p> 


	21. Chapter 21 - 2nd Step: Understanding

Rated T for Language

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Don't get too close

It's dark inside

It's where my demons hide."

- Demons by Imagine Dragons

* * *

><p>Chapter 21 - 2nd Step: Understanding<p>

Raiden spent the final weeks of the spring term studying for finals, avoiding Toya, and trying to spend as much time with Kaoru as he could. Archery club was taking a good portion of his time as well. He wouldn't lie, archery club was a great decision on his part. He knew it was done at his grandfather's request, but he was enjoying himself.

His sister on the other hand, he wasn't too sure. He continued to spy on her in between classes. He felt weird about it, but it was the only way he could see what she was doing during the day.

She socialized and was friendly with so many different people. There was one in particular that struck him as odd.

Raiden looked around his familiar pillar, down the corridor of the third years classrooms.

Reina was standing next a window and talking excitedly next to Kanan. Kuze was standing off to the side.

Mori soon joined her and seemed to stand closer than he usually did.

Kuze gave Mori a knowing grin and pulled Kanan away.

Reina waved after them and then looked at Mori with an more excited look. Raiden saw Hani bounce out of the classroom and join his friends. Then, he watched another boy walk up to Reina and give Mori a glare. The boy probably didn't even know he was glaring.

Raiden chuckled to himself. His sister was oblivious of the boy's glare and returned the smile he offered her. He said a few brief words before glaring slightly at Mori, giving a happy wave to Hani, and then walked away.

"It's funny isn't?"

Raiden jumped away and looked into Toya's teasing expression.

Toya relaxed his shoulders and hid around the corner and peered around.

"I think she knows."

"Knows what?" Raiden returned to his hiding spot.

They watched as Reina, Hani, and Mori talked amongst themselves and give a few words to anyone who passed by and greeted them.

"I think she knows Chisaka likes her. I'm pretty sure he does like her, especially after what she told me about last weekend."

"What happened last weekend?" Raiden asked quickly.

"Stargazing is pretty romantic don't you think?" Toya began, looking Raiden straight in the eye. "She said he was really sweet with her. Showing her various star constellations and planets with the telescope."

"That sounds so…"

"Cheesy?" Toya offered, with a chuckle. He looked around the corner again. "Reina just thought he was being friendly, but oh no, he's being more than friendly."

"Great," Raiden groaned. "She's going to get another boyfriend. She was doing fine on her own."

"You think?" Toya asked, sounding sincere. "She seemed pretty down if you ask me."

"What?"

"But I don't think she's interested," Toya shrugged. "Raiden?"

Raiden turned to him to let him know he was listening.

"Do you think your sister would be so adamant against you being in a relationship?" His eyes moved from Raiden's eyes to something behind him.

"What? I-"

"Don't you think she'd support you?"

"Of course she would, but that's different. I don't-"

"She would. You should support her too."

Raiden sighed.

"What do you have against relationships anyway?"

"What?"

"Hey, Raiden!" Kaoru and Hikaru ran up to their classmate. "Come on, we have to go after Haruhi." Kaoru grabbed Raiden's arm.

"Why?"

Toya gave a slight eye roll and walked away with a wave.

###

"Tamaki-senpai is gone again?" Raiden looked up into Kyouya's eyes.

"Yes. Host club is canceled today. I hope that isn't too much of a bother," Kyouya chided.

"What? No," Raiden stammered. "It's just the guys didn't tell me. I wonder why?" He thought out loud. He had spent a good part of the day with all three hosts, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi, and they failed to mention anything about the host club being canceled. "What am I going to do now?"

Kyouya shifted his blazer slightly. "Don't you have your own club activities to attend too?"

"Archery ended early today. Hayashi-senpai ran off with Toya for some reason."

"Really?" Kyouya's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Yeah. Is that weird?" Raiden watched his upperclassmen closely. He never noticed him taking an interest into Toya's actions.

"Slightly, yes. From what I understand they didn't part ways on good terms."

"What do you mean by that?"

Before he could answer, Kyouya had already begun to walk down the corridor. Raiden jogged to catch up with him.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's not my place to discuss," Kyouya replied casually.

Raiden huffed after him.

"Is your sister still on campus?" Kyouya suddenly asked.

"What?"

Kyouya hesitated. "Is Reina still on campus?"

Raiden shrugged harshly. "I don't know. I never know with her anymore."

"You sound frustrated. You've given up already?" Kyouya sounded more amused than anything else.

"I'm annoyed, not frustrated," Raiden reasoned. "How would you feel if the person you care about the most was doing something behind your back. She knows I know something is up now. Why won't she just tell me?" Raiden threw his arms into the air.

"I don't agree with her decision, but it's her decision and you have to respect that."

"You know something, don't you?" Raiden asked. For some reason, he felt a tingling feeling that Kyouya was hiding something from him. He asked him to help with his "investigation", but Kyouya hasn't disclosed anything.

"I don't think I know anymore than you do," Kyouya sufficed.

The dark haired teen stopped suddenly, his attention concentrated on something outside.

"Senpai?" Raiden moved around Kyouya and looked out the window.

They both looked down and watched Reina walk alongside one of her classmates toward the outer courtyard where cars waited for students.

"Kawazawa," Kyouya muttered.

"Lawyer family right?" Raiden leaned forward, placing his face fully on the glass.

"Yes, business management and acquiring," Kyouya explained, following their forms with his eyes.

Reina stopped next to a newly polished black four door car. Raiden noticed her familiar driver step out of the driver seat.

Kawazawa nodded toward the driver and opened the door for Reina. They leaned forward to each other and looked to be sharing a more intimate discussion.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"Your grandfather's company? Or maybe they're talking about class," Kyouya said with an eye roll.

Raiden openly glared. "She's getting in the car!" he jabbed the window pane with his finger. "Let's follow her!"

He began to sprint down the corridor. He heard Kyouya's footfalls behind him.

Once they reached the courtyard, Kyouya took a long breath. "How exactly are we going to follow her? _You_ don't have a car."

"I don't have a car," Raiden noted, "but _you_ do."

###

"How did I get caught up in this?" Kyouya sighed loudly.

"Oh shush, you're secretly enjoying this." Raiden tried to strain his view around the other cars, trying to concentrate on his sister's vehicle.

Kyouya fingered his cellphone, swiping through apps and then his email.

"Aren't you even a little interested?" Raiden turned his attention back to Kyouya.

Kyouya slipped his cellphone back into his pocket. "I am interested, but I'm not going to bury into her business."

"I don't even know what I'm doing anymore," Raiden contemplated. "I want to make sure my sister is okay. I don't want her to be in some sort of trouble."

Kyouya leaned back in his seat and stared out the front windshield. "You make it sound like Reina can't take care of herself."

"It's not that. Our grandfather is harsh and," Raiden paused, "controlling. I hope my sister isn't being controlled. That's all I want."

Kyouya shook his head. "Reina wouldn't let herself be controlled like that."

"How would you-" Raiden stopped suddenly. He turned in his seat quickly, eyeing the taller boy, "Since when have you called my sister by her first name?"

Kyouya opened his mouth, beginning to say something, but decided to leave Raiden's question unanswered. "Your _sister_ is not being controlled."

The car stopped suddenly, causing Raiden to lurch forward. Luckily, his seatbelt held him in place.

Two cars ahead of them they watched as Reina's driver helped her out of her vehicle. Reina continued walking into the building.

"This is a Suoh building. Tamaki should be here as well," Kyouya said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Raiden unbuckled his seatbelt and leaped out of the car, racing after his sister.

Kyouya groaned loudly and reluctantly followed after him, scooting across the leather seats and out of the car. He caught up to Raiden, who was hiding behind a large marble pillar.

They peeked around the pillar and found Reina in the lobby speaking with Tamaki.

"It looks like they ran into each other," Kyouya announced. His eyes strained, trying to look through the glass lobby windows and doors.

"What is Tamaki-senpai doing here anyway?" Raiden asked, his attention divided between his sister and Tamaki's appearance.

"He's beginning to learn more about his family's company," Kyouya explained.

"Really? I didn't know Tamaki-senpai was so interested in the company." He kept his eyes on his friend and sister.

"It's a fairly recent development, but I'm not surprised by it." Kyouya hid himself behind the marble and crossed his arms over his chest, tired by their spying mission.

"Why not? He doesn't seem like the type of person to-"

"Well, then you don't know him very well," Kyouya interrupted. "I'm sure anyone in his position or similar would eventually want to become part of their forefathers company."

Raiden nodded in understanding. "Is that," he hesitated, trying to predict Kyouya's reaction to his question. Would he be mad? "Is that how you see things, senpai?" He finally asked, his voice small.

Kyouya's eyes narrowed slightly. Kyouya knew what Raiden was instigating. "Not quite. I have slightly different ambitions."

Raiden concentrated his gaze on the floor. Even the floor leading up to the lobby doors were exquisite. The concrete held tiger and lion designs leading to the doors.

"What about my sister?" He asked.

"What about her?"

"Do you think my sister is actually trying to learn more about the company? Is she really trying to become a part of it?" Raiden found it hard to believe.

"Why does it seem so unbelievable?" Kyouya seemed to read his mind. "You don't seem to know what your sister's true desire is," Kyouya mentioned harshly.

Raiden flinched at the tone of his voice. He kept his eyes on the floor. "My sister has never told me-"

"You never let her," Kyouya interrupted again.

"What?" Raiden finally faced Kyouya. He noticed how serious Kyouya looked.

"You never let her tell you," Kyouya leaned forward slightly. "You jump to conclusions and you automatically assume she's doing something wrong. We've all seen it."

"What do you mean we?" Raiden whispered.

"First her boyfriend," Kyouya continued, "then her modeling. Now this."

Raiden's breathing began to quicken. He never realized how much he criticized his sister's actions. He just wanted her to do what was best for her.

"You're not her father, Raiden. You can't dictate what she does. Honestly, she doesn't even let her father do that."

Raiden was surprised by the seriousness in Kyouya's tone. He was scared by his candor. Has he really been so critical of his sister?

"She's still trying to figure out what she's doing," Kyouya sighed. "Regardless, I hardly believe she's being forced. She isn't the type of person who would let herself be controlled so easily."

"How do you know?" Raiden's voice trembled.

"Because she's just like me."

###

"Tamaki-kun!" Reina gripped the boy's forearm. "I heard the host club was cancelled for today, but I didn't know you would be here today? What brings you by?"

"Rei-senpai, what a pleasant surprise. I'm here to see my father," Tamaki explained.

"Oh? I'm here to see my uncle! His office is here in this building. Floor 32."

Tamaki whistled. "That's a long way up."

Reina groaned playfully. "I know. The trip up is so irritating." Reina smiled brightly, trying not to reveal how distressed she was really feeling.

The last thing she wanted today was to run into Tamaki or anyone from the host club or Ouran. She didn't want anyone to know what she was doing, not until she was ready.

"Senpai?" Tamaki looked over her head briefly. "What are you coming to see your uncle for?"

"Oh, just," Reina placed a finger to her chin, her forehead creased at the center, "family matters."

"I see." Before he could say anything else, his cell phone began to buzz. "Oh no, I'm sorry, Rei-senpai, but I need to go."

"That's quite alright, Tamaki-kun. I don't want to keep you."

Tamaki bowed and left Reina alone in the lobby. Her expression downcast.

Business men and women of all types passed by her. Ignoring her existence completely.

* * *

><p>Raiden spent the last week in a sort of daze. Kyouya's disclosure made him question everything. Has he really been so critical of his sister so that now, she never told him anything?<p>

He loved his sister to death. The last thing he wanted was his sister to feel pressured by his own criticism. He could hardly believe what he had done.

"_Because she's just like me."_

Kyouya's comment scared him more than it should have. Is his sister really that ambitious?

"You're pretty sluggish today, Moriyama," Hayashi scolded slightly. "What gives?" His arms crossed before him.

"It's nothing." Raiden lined himself back on the shooting line. He raised his bow and began to pull the string when he heard hushed murmuring behind him. He turned around and found Mori, Hani, and Toya standing in the back talking amongst themselves. Hayahi skipped over to the newcomers.

Raiden looked at them quizzically. What were they doing there?

"Raiden!" Hani waved.

"Hey, Hani-senpai. Mori-senpai," Raiden greeted them. His eyes veered over to Toya. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Toya smirked.

Hayashi punched Toya softly in the shoulder. "Did you come to visit me?"

"Shut up," Toya rolled his eyes, but a smile remained on his face.

"We haven't seen you in awhile, Raiden," Hani commented.

Raiden scanned the floor and sighed softly. He hadn't gone to the host club in over a week or gone to see the third years in their classroom "Yeah, sorry about that. I've been busy."

"With what?" Toya asked. "I haven't seen you in awhile either. It's like you're avoiding us."

"Us?" Hani asked.

"Yeah, Reina and I," Toya disclosed.

"Toya?" Hayashi interrupted. "You busy?"

Toya shrugged. He glanced at Raiden one last time before focusing his attention on his classmate. "Nope. I'm free for the rest of the afternoon."

"Really? Great. Club is almost over. There's a new art exhibit over at the MET*. Do you want to check it out?"

"Really? I wouldn't mind going. Reina ditched me today again."

"Awesome! Let me just finish up here." Hayashi turned to Raiden. "You done for today, kid?" He looked around briefly noticing the other members were already cleaning up.

Raiden looked around too. "Yeah. Sorry." Raiden quickly put his bow and arrows away. He began to slip off his keigo-ki, the kimono top of his uniform, when he noticed Toya and Hayashi standing off to the side near the door.

Raiden could see Toya's flushed face from where he was standing. Hayashi was leaning forward, teasing him about something.

"Rai-chan?" Hani suddenly appeared before Raiden.

Raiden stepped back startled. He had forgotten Hani and Mori were there.

"Do you want to go home together?" Hani asked sweetly.

"I," Raiden looked over to where Toya still stood. Toya's eyes were narrowed, but his ever present playful grin was spreading on his face. He must have said something because Hayashi was blushing.

"I," Raiden tried again. "Sure if you don't mind." Between the uncomfortable feeling he was getting in the clubroom and the inevitable irritation he would feel if he took the train, he knew he would get some peace if he rode with Hani and Mori.

Raiden slipped off the rest of his uniform behind a screen and quickly put his school uniform back on. He jogged after the cousins who were walking slowly toward the door.

The threesome slipped out the door quietly, unbeknownst to them, a pair of dark eyes trailed after them.

* * *

><p>"Alright settle down," their literature teacher barked, his voice echoing around the room.<p>

Reina kept her attention outside the classroom, watching a bird walk back and forth on a tree that was right next to her window. It was days before their final exams and she was dreading every hour left of school.

Studying was taking up too much of her time. At this rate, she just wanted to go home put some sweat pants or a loose dress on and eat a pint of ice cream.

"We need to partner up for the next assignment. You have the rest of the class period to work on the assignment."

Reina tapped her fingers on her desk and rested her head in her hands. Why was this class so boring? she wondered.

She felt Chisaka's chair hit the front of her desk. That was when she noticed Chisaka was moving uncomfortably in his seat and murmuring under his breath.

"Moriyama and, let's see," the teacher paused, looking around the room. "Nekozawa."

Chisaka bounded his fist on his desk.

"Chisaka. Kuze!"

"Ha!" Kuze yelled out.

The teacher called out the rest of the students and dispersed them. Reina picked up her books and tip toed over to Nekozawa's desk.

"Umehito-kun!" She squealed. Her previous dull attitude gone. She was excited to be working with her old friend. She dropped down in the now empty desk next to him. "Let's get started."

"Yes, lets." He gave her a small smile.

###

Mori and Hani scooted their desks together. They were partnered up once again for a class assignment.

Chisaka groaned loudly. He had stayed in his seat and groaned again when Kuze dropped down into Reina's empty desk.

"Tough break man. What did you think would happen?" Kuze chided, shaking his head.

"Shut up."

Kuze and Chisaka both looked across the room. Mori instantly followed their gaze. They were either watching the teacher at his desk in the classroom or they were staring at Reina and Nekozawa.

Reina suddenly grinned brightly at something Nekozawa said. Mori heard Chisaka sigh next to him.

"You should just get it over with," Kuze said, opening his textbook.

"What?"

"Just ask her out already. What is there to lose?"

Chisaka threw one more glance her way, sighing under his breath.

"I just need this semester over!" Reina's voice echoed around the room.

"Moriyama!" the teacher scolded.

Laughter spread around the room.

* * *

><p>Reina banged her head on the window. Finals were finally over. Now she didn't have to deal with school for the next six weeks. All she had to worry about was modeling, the company, and her brother.<p>

She banged her head on the window again. Her brother has been avoiding her for weeks. They held limited conversations and when they did talk it wasn't for long. She could hardly stand it. Sometimes she cried herself to sleep just knowing how much stress she was causing him. She didn't mean to, but she wasn't ready for him to know.

She made a move to bang her head across the glass again, but a strong grip around her arm stopped her.

She stared at the hand and immediately blushed. She knew whose hands those belonged to and she wasn't sure she could face him right now.

"Stop," Mori said calmly.

"I'm sure you did fine," Hani said cheerfully, appearing from behind his cousin, assuming her actions were related to her performance on their final exams.

Mori's hand trailed down her arm softly, causing shivers to go up and down Reina's spine. Her breath quickened.

"Moriyama!" Chisaka ran out of the classroom and skidded to a halt once he noticed who was standing next to her. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were busy. I'll just-"

"No, it's fine," Reina interrupted. "What is it?"

Mori's hand finally dropped completely.

"Can I ask you something?" He pulled her away from Mori and Hani and she let him, not noticing the distance.

Mori and Hani watched from afar, but they knew what he was probably going to ask.

"So, summer break is finally here," Chisaka commented.

Reina was focusing on something over his shoulder and out the window. "I'm so glad. You have no idea how tired I am of reading classic literature and graphing derivatives."

Chisaka laughed lightly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're right. It's a total bore."

"Didn't you want to ask me something?" Reina finally looked him in the eye.

Chisaka jumped slightly, his gaze wavering. "Yeah. Uh, since summer break is starting and all, I thought maybe we can hang out sometime."

She cocked her head to the side. "Really?" Something suddenly dawned on her. "Are you trying to get a rematch from the tennis match the other day?"

"What? No, it's a da- No. I'm just asking if you want to hang out...over the break."

"Oh," Reina settled. "That doesn't sound too bad. I wouldn't mind." She smiled.

Chisaka took a large breath. "Great. I'll call you."

She shrugged. "Okay."

Chisaka moved away slightly, but startled back. Neither Chisaka nor Reina noticed Mori and Hani standing closer than they were before. They must have moved closer while they were talking.

"Well, I'm done for today," Reina huffed. "I need to find a gallon of ice cream." _And figure out what to do about my brother_, she thought to herself.

She strode away from the teen boys. She missed the narrowed eyes Chisaka aimed at Mori and the slight grin Hani had on his face.


	22. Chapter 22 - Mouthful

Song Inspiration

Speechless by Lady GaGa

* * *

><p>Chapter 22 - Mouthful<p>

"Raiden could you go to the grocery store for me?" Reina hobbled across the entryway, holding one foot in her hand, trying to fit her heel across her foot.

"Oh…" Reina's eyes fell on Kaoru and Hikaru. "When did you two get here?"

Hikaru grinned. "About an hour ago. We heard your morning routine. Do you really fall that much?"

Reina scrunched up her nose. She had fallen three times in her room just trying to put on her slim fitting skirt and heels. "Shut up."

Raiden finally entered the entry way. "Did you need something?" he avoided her gaze.

Reina sighed. She lifted her clutch and took a out a piece of lined paper. "Could you get this stuff for me? I'm sorry for the late notice, but I have to go do something this morning. I should be home by two."

Reina began walking down the sidewalk toward the outer gate.

"Take care of yourself!" Raiden called out.

Reina held her hand out in response, before hopping toward Tetsuya who was waiting beside an open black sedan.

Raiden moved his attention to the twins. "You guys up for a shopping trip?"

The twins shrugged and followed Raiden down the sidewalk and out the front courtyard. They walked around the corner and began to head straight.

"It's still pretty early," Raiden commented, "do you guys want to stop by a bakery and pick something up?"

"Sure, whatever." Kaoru shrugged.

"I don't really care either way."

Raiden glanced at the twins. He shrugged away their crassness and began to lead them to the new neighborhood bakery anyway.

Once they reached the bakery doors, he heard the twins snicker and point at the windows. Raiden couldn't understand what they were insulting, but he decided to ignore it.

He pushed through the door, holding it open for Hikaru and Kaoru.

The clerk greeted them promptly. "Good morning! Welcome!"

Raiden picked up a plastic tray and began to set various pastries on it. He went around the bakery once when he realized the twins had yet to pick up a tray or pick out any bread.

"What are you guys doing? Don't you want anything?"

Kaoru looked up from his examination of a sugar covered bread. "I don't know what to do."

"Yeah, we've never been in a place like this," Hikaru crossed his arms. "You know we've hardly been to any commoner places, least of all a bakery."

Raiden rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He walked up to the clerk and dropped his tray on the counter.

"Would that be all?" The teen girl asked, her politeness leagues ahead of the twins current attitude. She began to ring up his bread.

"Yeah, that's it."

She finished her tallying quickly and gave him a price. He handed over his cash. She returned his change and began to wrap up his purchases.

"This place is weird…" Hikaru whispered.

Raiden groaned. He begged inwardly for the clerk to hurry up. He could see her blushing face from underneath her yellow cap, an accessory that was obviously part of her work uniform.

"Thank you, come again," she said, her voice soft.

"Thanks."

He wheeled around on his heel and dragged the twins out of the bakery.

"What's going on?" Kaoru complained.

"Did you see what that girl was wearing?" Hikaru laughed out loud. "They need to get new uniforms. If their food doesn't knock them out of business, their appearance surely will."

Raiden pushed the twins away from the bakery. He was sure the clerk and baker in the back heard every word.

"What is wrong with you?" Raiden snapped.

"What do you mean?" asked Hikaru.

"Why are you being so mean?" Kaoru asked this time.

"You were being rude," Raiden began to explain. "Do you have any idea how harsh that sounded?"

"It's the truth." Hikaru shrugged.

"How would you know? You haven't even tried their food or received their service."

"Oh yeah?" Hikaru plunged his hand into the paper bag Raiden was holding. "Thanks, I'll let you know what I think," he snorted and began to walk away.

"Let me have a taste!" Kaoru called after his brother.

Raiden stood, dumbfounded. Why were Hikaru and Kaoru being abnormally rude?

###

The grocery shopping trip was even worse. Raiden felt like a mother juggling four children hyper off of the sugariest foods you could find in the universe.

Hikaru and Kaoru would grab random fruits and try to juggle. They picked up cereal boxes and began to examine the health benefits. At one point, the twins began to analyze and critique the clothing individual patrons were wearing, all the while, Raiden was just trying to purchase a few pounds of beef, some fruit, and a gallon of juice.

"Why are you two being so insufferable?"

Hikaru and Kaoru stopped short of the melon stand.

"You're the one being the killjoy. It's summer!" Hikaru called.

"Loosen up a little," Kaoru added.

Raiden's eyes narrowed. He wasn't being a killjoy, he reasoned with himself. Sure there was a lot on his mind, but who doesn't? They were being unreasonably carefree and nonchalant about things.

"I don't need to loosen up," he defended.

"Well, maybe you need to become a little less serious," Kaoru replied.

###

Reina stumbled down the stairs. She thanked herself for being proactive and holding on to the handrail, but then she wobbled over to a marble pillar and hid behind it.

Tamaki was walking across the lobby. She had just finished having a so-called "breakfast meeting" with her grandfather and uncle. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face Tamaki, or Kyouya, or even Mori at that moment.

"Rei-senpai?" Tamaki's angelic voice registered in her brain.

Of course he saw me, she thought to herself.

"Tamaki-kun!"

"It's so good to see you so soon," Tamaki's eyes brightened. "Are you busy? Would you like to get an mid-day snack with me?"

His enthusiasm caught on. "I'd love to join you."

He took her by the arm and led her out the lobby. They walked down the street for a few minutes until they came across a small cafe.

"I saw this place the other day and decided I had to try something," Tamaki explained.

They ordered two strawberry crepes and then sat down next to a large window.

"How have you been, senpai?"

A waiter stopped by and placed their food before them. Reina began to pick at her crepe with her fork. "I've been well. How about you?"

"Excellent! Have you heard about our latest mission?"

Reina's eyebrows quirked up.

"We're helping Haruhi's friend Mei reunite with her father. You remember him, right? Misuzu from the pension we went to last summer?"

"Oh yes! I remember. How kind of you..."

"Haruhi and I are taking her to the summer festival at a shrine that's near your house. You should join us," he suggested. He took a large bite of his crepe.

"Really? I'm not sure. I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense! You never impose. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of meeting you as well. She's an aspiring fashion designer and since you're a model," he wiggled his eyebrows, "I'm sure she'd look forward to meeting you."

Reina shrugged. "Sure, if you say so. I wouldn't mind going to a festival. I haven't gone to one in a while."

"Great!" Tamaki finished his crepe in three more bites. "That was delicious."

Reina was about to take another bite, when Tamaki's expression softened abruptly.

"Yes…?"

"How have you been, senpai?"

"You asked that already."

Tamaki moved his plate away. "I know, but how are you really? Hani and Mori-senpai told me you were really stressed out about finals."

"School always stresses me out," she defended.

"They're just concerned."

"I don't see why. Having Raiden worrying about me is stressful enough. I don't need more people worrying about me when there's nothing to worry about."

"Is there really?" Tamaki eyed her.

Reina slid her arm across the table and took hold of his hand. "Tamaki-kun, thank you, but there is really nothing to worry about." She held her gaze steady with his. "I'm trying my best at something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm finally getting a leg up and I'm not going to give up any time soon."

Tamaki let out a long breath. "If you say so."

"You understand, don't you?"

Tamaki's eyebrows rose.

"In situations like ours, we really have to prove ourselves first before we're taken seriously," she stated.

Tamaki's smile lifted slightly. "You're right."

She smiled and finished off her crepe.

"Then what's bothering you?"

"What makes you think something is bothering me?"

"You seem a little on edge…" Tamaki looked down at his empty plate.

"We're friends, right?"

His eyes met hers and looked at her sincerely. "Of course."

"Please don't tell anyone I told you this."

He leaned forward. "What is it?"

Reina hesitated. She knew she could confide in Tamaki, but this was something she hadn't even told Toya.

"Shizuo emailed me a few days before our finals."

Tamaki gasped. "Really? What did he say?"

Reina looked out the window and concentrated on the bright light beaming down on the ground, trying to make her eyes water less. "He told me he was still upset about our break up and thought that the best way to get over me was to," she paused and took a deep breath, "move one with someone else."

"Oh," Tamaki breathed.

"It hurt so much to read that. I know it shouldn't, but-"

"Of course," Tamaki interrupted. "I know how much you love him. I can't imagine how much it hurt to read that. Is he, you know, already seeing someone?"

"The way he wrote it," she grimaced, "sounded like he was. But I don't know why I'm so upset. It's been a year. I shouldn't be so hung up on him."

"I know what you should do!" Tamaki leaned forward again, excitedly.

"What?"

"You should move on too!"

"I can't-"

"Sure you can! Go on some dates. Put yourself out there. This actually might be good for you. Knowing that Shizuo is with someone else will help you disassociate yourself from him and help you move on to someone else."

"You think so?"

"I know so! I know a great way to start!"

"How?"

Tamaki grinned. "Come to the festival with us."

* * *

><p>Raiden watched his sister smooth out her yukata with the palm of her hand. Her hair was up in a loose bun which allowed two short strands to fall on either side of his face.<p>

He was wearing a dark blue yukata as well. His hands hid in either sleeve.

Reina walked behind Hani and Mori while Toya walked in step with him.

"It was nice you guys to invite me along," Toya announced.

Raiden looked at him from the corner of his eye. Toya was sporting a steel gray and black yukata with his family's name running down the back. Raiden had to admit - he looked handsome.

Toya must have felt his gaze on him, because he turned in his direction and shot him a grin. Raiden looked away immediately.

"Rei-senpai! You look beautiful," Tamaki's voiced echoed around.

"We think so too! Don't we, Takashi?" Hani hopped over to his friends who were gathered around a light pole.

A pink hue dusted over Reina's cheeks.

Raiden noticed a girl standing next to Haruhi and readily assumed that that was the girl the host club was busying themselves with.

"Mei," Tamaki pushed her forward. "These are our friends Reina and Raiden Moriyama. And that's Toya Tsukino."

Mei's face blanched. "No way!" Mei grabbed Reina's arm. "I can't believe it. You're wearing the yukata I made. Ootori!" She dropped Reina's arm.

Kyouya magically appeared at Reina's side. "Yes?"

"You didn't tell me I was making a yukata for a real model."

"I didn't want to put you under any pressure," Kyouya replied smoothly.

"You made this?" Reina asked. "It's beautiful and it fits perfectly."

"Oh, well Ootori gave me your measurements."

Reina's jaw dropped slightly and scrunched to the left. She moved her eyes slowly toward Kyouya's. Her eyes narrowed. "Really?"

Kyouya shrugged.

Raiden felt Toya laugh beside him.

After Mei fangirled over Reina and Toya they ended up separated. Tamaki and Mei went off to explore the festival while the rest of them walked a different route and explored on their own.

Raiden noticed his sister in between Hani and Mori, pointing out random stalls and pulling them along to play festival games.

Raiden watched their interactions for the most part. He noticed how gentle Mori seemed to be whenever his sister was near him. He'd tense up and let her flutter around him and would relax once she was away.

At one point during their walk, Kyouya walked over and pulled Reina away, talking to her in a hushed tone.

She glared at him, but couldn't help grinning. She pinched him on the arm and walked away.

"Kyouya and Reina seem awfully close don't they?" Toya suddenly asked, startling Raiden. He'd forgotten he was there.

"You could say that…" Raiden should've asked Kyouya about his increasingly closer relationship with his sister during their outing a few weeks back. He narrowed his eyes at the Ootori unconsciously.

Raiden suddenly remember a short conversation he and Kyouya had that day. "Why aren't you with Hayashi-senpai?"

Toya snapped at attention. "What?"

"You've been hanging out with Hayashi-senpai a lot. I just assumed you'd be with him tonight."

Toya began to scratch the side of his face. "Well, let's just say it didn't really work out."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on," Toya groaned. "I don't want to have to explain it to you."

Raiden stood to the side, stunned. "Were you and Hayashi-senpai, _together_?"

Toya wiped his hand down his face and nodded. "Yes."

"Are you together now?"

"No. He," Toya hesitated. "He wanted to give it another shot and I thought I would be okay with that, but I wasn't so we ended it again."

"Oh." Raiden began walking again, trying to catch up to his sister. Toya's presence was suddenly making him very nervous. So, Toya and Hayashi dated once before.

"We weren't back together. We were just contemplating it and it didn't work out."

"Why not?"

Toya's eyes landed on his. "Because I like someone else."

"Really?"

Reina gave out a high pitched laugh, startling the two of them. They turned toward the commotion and found Reina and Mori both leaning over a pool of water, trying to catch fish.

"Do you think they'll ever work it out?" Toya asked.

Raiden felt thankful for the change of topic. "What do you mean?"

"Come on," he egged on, "you gotta see that there's something there, right?"

Then he noticed Mori and Reina exchange the briefest of smiles.

###

She lifted her fish at eye level. She caught a single fish and was now holding it in a small plastic bag.

Mori walked stoically next to her, scanning the crowds over her head. Hani walked on her other side staring excitedly and pointing out stalls he wanted to visit.

"What did Kyo-chan want to tell you?" Hani asked.

"Oh," She avoided his gaze. "It was nothing. Just Kyouya being Kyouya."

"_Kyouya_?" Hani stared at her, slightly wide eyed.

"Yeah," she took a step away, "so I'm going to check out that stall. I'll be right back."

She rushed over to a random stall and started looking at the various goods being sold. From the corner of her eye she saw Raiden actually walking next to Toya. He wasn't even running away. The sight made her giggle and sigh in relief.

Toya was her best friend. Raiden deserved to be with someone who noticed him for what he is - not because of the people he associated with. She was trying to get that through his thick skull.

She also couldn't help feeling a slight sense of disappointment. Sure Toya was her best friend, but his growing relationship with her brother was making her feel left out. Raiden has yet to speak to her unless it was early morning greetings or requests or random small talk.

She picked up a small key chain. A miniature Skytree was dangling off the key ring. She started to move around the stall, but bumped into a warm body.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"It's alright," a deep voice replied.

She looked up and looked straight into a pair of dark eyes. Short bangs surrounded his forehead and the striking blonde made her gasp.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, his accent thick.

"I-" She took a step back and looked around quickly.

"I'm sorry," he took a hold of her forearm. His hold firm, but gentle. The palm of his hand overwhelmed her arm. "I didn't mean to alarm you."

He took a step closer and she took a step back and this time she bumped into a taller, harder body.

The boy holding her arm dropped it immediately. The blonde's eyes narrowed.

"It seems I interrupted something," said the blonde.

Mori maneuvered himself closer to Reina. Her back hovered over his torso. His arm reached down for hers and he began to move her behind him discreetly.

The boy's eyes crinkled at the corners. "I'm new to the area and I'm not used to the customs in this country. I'm sorry if I offended either of you."

"It's fine. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

The boy tilted his head to the side. "Nice meeting you." He bowed, eyed Reina one more time and then proceeded to walk away.

The stiffness in Mori's arm began to loosen. His fingers trailed down her arm until they dropped away. She hadn't noticed she was holding her breath.

"Are you okay?" Raiden appeared from behind, Toya trailing closely behind.

She whirled around, feeling the stiffness of Mori's yukata on her arms and shoulder. "I'm fine. I just bumped into somebody."

"Oh," Raiden looked around, examining the crowd and then rested his eyes back on his sister.

"I found this," she held up the key chain. "It's cute. Do you want one?"

A small smile formed on Raiden's face. "Sure."

###

The rest of the festival was uneventful at best. The host club's mission failed, but Mei didn't necessarily hate her father like they thought she did.

Mori and Hani ended up walking them home. The festival was at a shrine not to far from his house so they decided to just walk.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Mei shook Reina's hand roughly. She stared googly eyed at Toya. "And you. I can't believe I met real models today."

Reina giggled. "Thank you for the wonderful yukata."

Mei laughed it off. "Thank you for wearing it!"

Reina and Toya began the trek back to his house.

"Rai-chan, did you have fun tonight?" Hani asked.

"It was fine."

Hani stared in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you didn't even talk to Hikaru or Kaoru…" he mentioned.

Raiden stared down at the floor. "They didn't even talk to me either."

"Did you three get in a fight?"

"No, but they were being real jerks the other day."

"What do you mean?"

"They were rude to me and the clerks at the stores. They were just being really rude."

"Oh, I see." Hani nodded.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Reina and Toya walked closely. He noticed Toya grab her hand and hold it too his chest.

"They're so close," Hani whispered. "It's really sweet."

"But they're just friends," Raiden quickly defended.

"I know that," Hani giggled, "I wasn't saying they were anything other than friends."

They rounded around the corner to his house. Once they neared the outer gate, Hani stopped them with his cheery voice.

"I know!"

Reina and Toya stopped mid-stride.

"Let's all hang out soon. Just us. I'm sure we can find something fun to do."

Reina moved her gaze from Raiden to Toya and back to Raiden. "I wouldn't mind."

Raiden shrugged. He doubted either of the twins would invite him out somewhere. They never did. "Sure."

"Great!"

A car pulled up next to them. Hani bounced toward. "I'll call you guys!"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - New chapter! This is the second chapter for tonight. That is two for today! I forgot to post a chapter last week. I also want to announce that I'm going back and editing the earlier chapters, especially chapters 1 - 12.

Chapter 2, 3 and 7 went through extensive edits if you want to go back and read them. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23 - A Friend for the End

Rated T for Language

Summer vacation for Raiden and the gang! Enjoy this chapter :)

* * *

><p>Song Inspiration<p>

"Staying in the play pretend

Where the fun ain't got no end,

Can't go home alone again,

Need someone to numb the pain…"

- Stay High by Tove Lo, Hippie Sabotage

* * *

><p>Chapter 23 - A Friend for the End<p>

"I can't believe we're doing this," Raiden huffed, but hid behind the cotton candy stall anyway.

Toya stood next to him giggling. Hani and Mori stood off to the side, but hidden.

"The last thing I wanted to do," Raiden continued, "is to follow my sister around on one of her _dates_."

"Come on it's fun. I want to see what Chisaka is going to do." Toya rubbed his hands together.

"Why?"

"Because even though your sister is incredibly smart and quick minded, she didn't get that Chisaka was trying to ask her out until a few days ago." Toya motioned for them to inch closer.

Raiden, Hani, and Mori slowly walked closer, hiding behind stalls and trying to blend into the summer crowd at the amusement park.

Toya continued. "I mean he already took her to an art museum. He even took her to the Studio Ghibli Museum. He took her to the aquarium at Skytree."

Reina was currently walking, rather closely, with Chisaka. He looked unusually animated, while she tried to keep up with his enthusiasm.

"She's never had to turn someone down before," Toya commented. Raiden couldn't tell if Toya sounded excited or solemn. It was hard to tell with him.

"She's going to say no?" Hani squeaked. "Oh no. That'll be terrible."

"Yeah?" Toya eyed his classmates, his eyes lingering on the taller one, before turning away. "Would you rather Reina get stuck dating him for a few months and then once she finally breaks it off have him hate and spite her. No thanks."

Raiden groaned. "Does she need a boyfriend anyway?"

"No, but," Toya stood still and faced Raiden, "she needs to know that it's okay to be in a relationship." His eyes swept past Mori before returning to his mission at hand.

Toya ran across a gap of people and hid behind a large set of bushes. The other teens followed suit.

"I thought we were going to go bowling today," Hani began to whine.

"Oh no, this is way more important, Haninozuka. We're protecting a woman's honor."

"What?" Raiden squealed.

Toya rolled his eyes. "I'm just joking! I'm just playing my part. Not like she has any honor to protect anyway."

Raiden snapped his head in Toya's direction. "What?" He barked.

Toya slapped his hand over Raiden's mouth and brought him into his chest. He cradled Raiden's head underneath his chin. "Shush! You'll blow our cover."

Reina and Chisaka sat down at a set of tables a few yards away from the hiding teens.

"Rei-chan looks really nice today," Hani said. "She likes wearing dresses, doesn't she?"

Chisaka left her at the table and walked into the small restaurant next door.

Raiden pushed himself away from the model and glared openly in Toya's direction. "What do you mean no honor?"

Toya shrugged, his attention lying on his best friend and date. "I'm talking about her virginity. Not family honor," he turned back toward Raiden, "I would never talk about that. That's none of my business."

"My sister's virginity is not your business either," Raiden cried.

"It's not yours either!" Toya snapped back. "It's nobodies really, you know, because she's not a vir-"

"Stop!" Raiden waved his hands in the air. "Let's just not talk about that anymore."

The boys settled back down and waited for Chisaka to return to the table.

Reina sat quietly in her seat, knocking her foot back and forth against the pole holding the table up. She was staring off into the man made pond in the middle of the amusement park when her phone went off.

She picked up her cellphone and opened whatever message made the phone ring. Raiden noticed her eyebrows scrunch up in thought, even from his vantage point.

She immediately placed her phone away once Chisaka returned. He placed a strawberry milkshake down in front of her.

Their voices were either too low or the boys were too far away to hear what they were saying.

"Let's get closer." Toya began to crawl across the floor.

Raiden grabbed onto his well tailored plaid shirt. "Are you insane? She's going to see us and then she'll kill us."

"Come on! Are you serious? This is coming from you, the person who is been spying on her for the last three months or so?"

Raiden looked down at the floor. "I-"

"Rai-chan?" Hani questioned.

"I don't feel comfortable doing this." Raiden dropped down against the bushes and sat down on the pavement.

"Really?" Toya dropped down next to him. "Why? Because you know what she's doing isn't necessarily wrong."

Raiden wiped a hand across his face. "What do you mean?"

"These past few months, you've been following Reina around and questioning what she's been doing because you, deep down, thought she was doing something wrong, but now," Toya looked over his shoulder, "you know what she's doing isn't wrong."

Raiden looked over his shoulder briefly. Reina was taking a sip from her drink. He looked away and sighed.

Hani moved and knelt down in front of Raiden. "It's okay to be worried about her, Rai-chan. But what you do is, excessive," Hani said softly. "When it comes to relationships, you need to tread carefully, but you can relax in knowing that they don't all end terribly," Hani hesitated slightly, "like your parents did."

Raiden jumped at the mention of his parent's marriage. What did their relationship have anything to do with this?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Haninozuka." Toya grinned.

"Why did you mention my parents?" Raiden voiced. "Them of all people?"

Toya inched closer. "We're getting the sense that you have a skewed image of what relationships are like," he admitted, "because of your parents. I mean, that's probably why Reina latched on to Shizuo so quickly."

Toya, Hani, and Raiden finally turned around to look at Reina and Chisaka again, but found something amiss.

Reina was standing and backing away from the table. She was waving her hands in front of her and her face was flushed. She took a step back and accidentally bumped into another couple. She bowed and apologized, but continued to back away from Chisaka.

They couldn't hear what she was saying, but she kept shaking her head until suddenly, she just bolted away, running as fast as she could.

"What happened? Takashi?" Hani asked, looking to his cousin. Toya and Raiden concentrated on him as well.

Mori's gaze was still fixated on the scene. His eyes lingering on Chisaka who had now slumped down into his chair with his head in his hands. Mori had seen the whole thing. He relented to look away and the only thing he said was, "he kissed her."

###

"Do you really think she'd be home?" Raiden whispered. He opened the front door to his house slowly. He moved the door past the genkan and noticed his sister's heels strewn across the floor. "She's here," he announced.

Toya pushed his way into the house. "Of course she's here. Where else would she be?"

Toya threw his shoes off and stepped onto the wooden floors of the house. He stepped quickly into the hallway and was about to walk into the living room when he stopped.

"What is-"

Toya held his hand up to silence him and pointed to the deck surrounding the house.

Straight ahead, past the living room and on the deck sat Reina. She had pushed open the paper screens haphazardly and was now sitting the floor, dangling her feet over the edge.

Toya took a step back. "Uh," he hesitated, "maybe I'll bake a cake or something." He stepped back into the hallway and turned into the kitchen.

Raiden looked on with confusion. Of all the times Toya has butted into his sister's business, he chose to ignore this one.

He felt Mori edge around him and watched as he walked across the living room and onto the deck. Reina jumped away in surprise, but Mori sat down next to her anyway.

Reina scooted closer. She took hold of his arm and wrapped herself around it, digging her face into his arm.

"Rai-chan?" Hani pulled at his sleeve. "Let's go make a cake!"

###

Reina sniffled and leaned into his arm. "I'm sorry," she moaned. She dropped his arm and moved as far away as she could. "I'm terrible. I'm a terrible, terrible person."

"You didn't know," Mori defended.

"No," she sighed. She wiped her eyes clean. "I knew. Of course I knew, but I just wanted to ignore it."

"Why?"

She finally turned to face him, her jaw dropping slightly. She placed her hands on either side of her legs and used them to hold herself steady. "I was scared. I _am_ scared. Tamaki said I shouldn't be, but I can't help it."

"Tamaki?" Mori sounded surprised.

Reina nodded. "He said it would be easier and it was, for a little bit." She sighed loudly. "Chisaka is really nice. He's sweet and handsome and he's opinionated, but I just…" she trailed off.

"Just what?" Mori pushed.

"I didn't _feel_ it," her breath came out in short spasms.

He sensed her beginning to hyperventilate. He did the first thing that came to mind. He pulled her closer, grabbed her arm and placed it on his chest.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Breathe like me," he instructed, taking in a slow long breath. She tried to remove her hand from his grip, but he kept it on his chest. "Breathe," he repeated.

Reina began her shallow breathing, trying to match her breathing pattern to his. She let in a large gulp of air and released it with pursed lips.

They continued the breathing exercise for another few minutes. His grip on her hand relaxed and she whipped it out of his hand. The feel of his chest was still fresh on her fingertips. Another breath caught in her throat, but this time she quickly relaxed.

"What didn't you feel?" he asked.

"What?"

"You said you didn't feel it." He rested his feet over the ledge of the deck and looked out into the garden. "What did you mean?"

Reina followed his gaze into the garden. "Chisaka is wonderful, but I don't like him like that."

"You're not attracted to him," Mori elaborated.

Reina blushed and sighed again. "No. I'm not _attracted_ to him."

They sat side by side in silence. They could hear the bustling of pots and pans in the kitchen.

"What are you going to do?" He finally asked.

"I don't know. I hope he doesn't hate me."

"He won't hate you," Mori reasoned.

"How do you know?"

"You didn't lie. It's better to tell the truth than to lead him on."

"But I ran away. I'm terrible," she groaned and threw herself onto her back. She sniffed loudly. "I smell cake."

* * *

><p>Raiden stood off to the side and watched as Kaoru tried to get a close up shot of a flower.<p>

They were both treading lightly around the Moriyama garden. Reina had insisted.

Raiden thought back on his sister's warning with a slight eye roll.

"If when I return, I find one thing out of place; one plant stomped on; or one flower petal fallen - you are both dead," she warned before hopping into the back seat of a black SUV with Tetsuya driving.

"Does your sister take care of this garden all by herself?" Kaoru asked, leaning up and dropping his camera to his chest.

Raiden straightened himself. "No," he pointed to the house situated behind the garden, "Tanaka-san and her husband usually help my sister with the garden. It runs into their yard."

Kaoru nodded in understanding.

"Why isn't Hikaru here?" Raiden strained, he was thankful he wasn't here and felt terrible about it, but he noticed Kaoru's different demeanor from when he was with and without his brother and he preferred him when they weren't together.

"He's getting ready for our trip. We're going to Okinawa soon." Kaoru walked over to where the house met the garden, stopping at the wooden steps. "Would it be alright if I took some pictures of your house?"

Raiden looked up at his house. "What do you mean?"

"I like the lines that are forming on the roof. Can I take some shots of that?"

"Uh, sure."

"Thanks!"

Raiden followed Kaoru around his home and continued to watch him. He followed Kaoru's concentration and found it amazing how Kaoru found the littlest thing interesting.

"So you're going to Okinawa?" Raiden asked.

"Yeah!" Kaoru looked up excitedly. "I can't wait to go. I think we're going to be there for about a week. Are you going anywhere before school starts up again?"

Raiden was taken aback by the question. He'd love to go somewhere. Anywhere really, but his father was always so busy. He never had time for him, or his sister, or his brother.

He had to think back to the last time he went on an actual _vacation_ with his family. He was a first year in middle school and they had gone to Hokkaido for the new year. They've never gone anywhere as a family since.

"No," he replied. "We don't usually go anywhere."

"Really?" Kaoru dropped his camera. "Nowhere?"

Raiden shook his head.

"Where was Rei-senpai going?"

Raiden shrugged, thinking back to when his sister left that morning. Tetsuya had tossed two suitcases into the back trunk of the SUV.

"I have no idea. Something for my grandfather, I suppose."

Kaoru nodded in understanding and walked over to stand next to Raiden. "Are you and your sister okay?"

Kaoru noted the confusion growing in Raiden's eyes. "You two seem a little strained. Is everything okay?"

Raiden sat down on the deck just adjacent to the wooden steps. "Do you think I'm over critical of my sister?"

Kaoru sat down next to him. This caused the little hairs on Raiden's neck to rise up.

"A little," Kaoru squeezed his fingers tight. "Okay, maybe a little more, but you have your reasons. Although, I think you should give your sister some slack."

"She still hasn't told me what she's doing," Raiden acknowledged, "but I know my grandfather is asking her to do something and I know. She's not sneaking around with Tetsuya like she did before. It's pretty much out in the open now, but she hasn't told me anything yet."

"Maybe she wants it to be a surprise!" Kaoru said with a smile. "Rei-senpai is anything but cruel. I'm sure she's waiting for the most opportune moment to tell you the truth. You just have to be patient."

Raiden sighed. "I know. I'm just biding my time I suppose."

Kaoru stretched his arms over his head. "Thanks for letting me come here today. I wanted to invite you out, but then I remembered you had your own garden here."

"You're welcome," Raiden said lightly.

"Hey, I was wondering." Kaoru placed his elbow on his knee and rested his chin in his open palm. He shook his eyebrows knowingly. "What's going on between you and Toya?"

"What?" Raiden almost screeched. "What do you mean?"

"You _know_," Kaoru pushed his shoulder into Raiden's. Raiden felt himself blush.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Kaoru barked in laughter. "Come on! You guys seem a lot closer now. Is there something going on between you two?"

"There's nothing," he strained.

"Really? Oh," Kaoru looked deflated. "Well, I called it if you two do end up together."

"What!"

Kaoru laughed again.

"What makes you think we could, you know, get together?" Raiden mumbled.

"Attraction is a big one and I know that Toya definitely has the hots for you."

Raiden flushed, his cheeks becoming more red.

"You two have a lot in common and have the same interests. You two compliment each other. Your personalities don't fight for the same space. If you two were to ever get into an argument I'm sure you two would fight it out, but agree amicably because the fight was stupid to begin with."

Raiden was awed by Kaoru's explanation. How could he know so much of their relationship when Raiden hardly knew Toya at all?

"I wish you luck though," Kaoru said, almost sadly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I guess we'll both need luck in the love department."

A small smile grew on Raiden's face. The heat on his face began to cool and a slight flutter traveled through his stomach. "I'd forgotten how nice you are."

"Huh?" Kaoru returned with a blank look.

* * *

><p>Reina kicked the clump of sand closest to her away from her feet. She decided to just jump off the wooden platform she was currently sitting on and walk across the shore.<p>

She held the crochet styled caftan closer to her body. The day's weather couldn't decide if it wanted to be warm, breezy, or both.

She stood at the foot of the shore, just before the water's reach.

"If I knew any better," a cool voice interrupted her thoughts, "I would think you were up to something."

"Kyouya," she rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see, "you know very well I'm always up to something."

She turned around and found Kyouya donning jeans and a loose fitted shirt. She held her hand to her chest and feigned hurt. "Where is your summer whimsy? Why aren't you in a swimsuit or something?"

She walked over to where he stood and instantly held his shirt in between her fingers, feeling for the texture. "It's very nice," she mumbled.

He grabbed hold of her wrist, but took care in not crushing it, noting the wrist brace she was currently wearing. "I would have thought after what happened to you, you'd have more security around. Or at least be inside."

She ignored his look and forced her arm out of his hold. "I'm not afraid of them."

This time he rolled his eyes. He placed a hand on his hip and looked at her through his bangs. "It's not about being afraid. It's being cautious. You're a target now. You and your family."

"Stop," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Don't you think I know that?"

Kyouya sighed next to her. "I honestly have never had to deal with something like that. Not on that proportion." He rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "Are you alright?"

"Why are we even talking about this?" She shook her head, trying to change the subject. "When did you get here?"

He ran his arm down her shoulder and her arm. "A few hours ago. My father wanted me to meet some people. I see you went swimming," motioning to her two piece bathing suit, "did you go alone?"

"No." She stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms directly over her chest. "I was with Kawazawa actually."

"Really? Kawazawa-senpai? Was Chisaka-senpai here as well?" He chided.

Reina groaned. "Please don't. I came here hoping to forget that. I don't need you bringing it up."

He took her arm and placed it around his own, leading her away from the beach nonchalantly. "I don't plan on doing anything, just noting an obvious fact."

She pinched his skin between her fingers. "Shut up!"

"Are you heading back to your room soon?" He asked.

"I'm actually staying at my family's estate in Kyoto. Do you want to join me?" She sounded almost hopeful. She didn't want to spend another night alone in the large house.

"Kyoto?"

"It's only a forty minute drive. Come on, it'll be fun," she pushed. "You can even take a bath first if you'd like."

"I'll need to get my stuff…"

"That's fine! But let's go, you're cutting into my sleeping time." She began to run for the street.

"You're the one wasting time on the beach!"

###

The teens slid into a large black SUV. Tetsuya sat in the driver's seat and Tachibana, one of Kyouya's men, rode next to him. Aijima and Hotta followed behind in another car.

Much of the car ride was silent. Tetsuya and Reina didn't speak one word to each other, but Kyouya noted the stiffness in Tetsuya's shoulders and the tense air between the two.

Reina was slouched in her seat with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Aren't you cold?" Kyouya asked, remembering she was still in her swimsuit.

She shrugged. "I'm fine."

Kyouya spent the rest of the drive examining the outside and examining his friend sitting next to him. He didn't notice when the car finally pulled into the Moriyama family estate.

He stared in awe. He never imagined the main estate would be so…

"It's large isn't it?" Reina interrupted his thoughts. She slid across the seat and settled next to him. She was warmer then he thought. "It's been ages since I've been here. These last few days I've been exploring every nook and cranny."

Tetsuya stopped the car right in front of the main entrance to the home. Kyouya unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door, helping Reina out once he reached the floor.

"Come on!" Reina raced past him and bolted into the house.

###

Reina dropped herself down next to Kyouya. He had rolled out a futon in one of the rooms.

Reina began to roll out her futon, but instead of having it horizontal to the wall she placed the head near the opening leading to the outside.

"What are you doing?"

"You can see the stars from here," she answered matter of factly.

She patted her bed and then slid inside noting the comfort and fluff. Before she laid down she looked over to Kyouya, who was still standing and staring at her confused. She patted the floor next to her. "Come sleep next to me."

Kyouya hesitated.

She laid down. "I asked you here so I wouldn't be alone. Come on," she groaned.

Kyouya sighed softly and then pulled his futon next to hers. He slid himself under the top and laid down facing up. Reina was on her side, staring at him. "Thanks for coming."

"Thank you for letting me have the bath first," he replied.

"You're a guest."

"Because you didn't want to be alone." He switched over to his side and faced her. "We should talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about," she lowered herself into her sheets, half her face hidden.

"You were attacked."

"It was hardly-"

"It's serious. You shouldn't disregard something like this. You got hurt. So did Tetsuya. What did your father say?"

Her gaze was concentrated on his pillow just so she wouldn't face him directly. "My father wanted me to come home."

"And your grandfather?"

"He said I should have known better."

"It's not your fault," Kyouya countered, feeling frustrated with her grandfather's treatment of her.

"Of course it isn't," she responded. "I never thought it was. But I know those people who _attacked_ us were frustrated. We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. That's all."

They were silent for a moment. Kyouya could see the frustration growing inside of her. At times it out did her determination, which he knew lit up like fire.

"You can see the stars from here," he whispered, trying to distract her.

"I told you," she teased, but she still hadn't looked up at the sky.

"Reina?"

"Why does this have to be so hard? I just wanted to help. I just want him to," she paused, burrowing herself further into her pillow.

"You want him to what?" he pushed. Both their voices barely above a whisper.

"I just want him to think I'm good enough. That we're all good enough. Is that too much to ask?" She finally looked into his eyes.

"No. It's not."

"You're lucky, Kyouya."

"Why do you say that?"

She reached out from underneath her blanket and grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "You were born a boy."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Leave a review. I've gone and edited chapters 1-18, mostly. Chapter 2, 3, 7, 9...have gone under extensive editing. But I think I'm done with all the editing.

Important question: Do you think the characters are mostly "in character"?

I've finished writing chapter 25 and it looks like there's at least two chapters left. I'm also planning on writing an epilogue. Wow! I can't believe this is almost over :3

Thanks for the new follows! Welcome and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.

Also, I was thinking of making a playlist for this story. I'll probably post it on tumblr. Just letting you guys know :)


	24. Chapter 24 - Growing Pains

Song Inspiration

"All I need's a little love in my life,

All I need's a little love in the dark,

A little but I'm hoping it might kick start,

Me and my broken heart."

- Me and My Broken Heart by Rixton

* * *

><p>Chapter 24 - Growing Pains<p>

Raiden stared up at a majestic building. "What in the world?" Raiden walked up the steps, but he couldn't take his eyes off the building. "Is this really someone's house?"

There were at least two separate wings of the home. A wide and long staircase led to the front door and he noticed a veranda off to the side. Before he got a chance to knock on the door, it opened.

"Raiden!" His sister beamed at him.

"Nee-chan…?"

"Crazy, right? You'd never think Kaoru and Hikaru live here, right? Come in," she moved out of the way to let her brother walk inside.

She led the way to a sitting room. Mori, Hani, and Kyouya were already seated.

"Rai-chan, you made it!" Hani pounced to the younger teen. "Look at these cookies Tama-chan brought. They're a reward from Misuzu-san."

"Oh? That's nice." Raiden couldn't help looking around the room, searching for the one boy who made his heart thump quickly.

His eyes landed on his sister's. There was humor resting there. "What?"

She shrugged. "I'm going to go look for my future husband. I'll be back." She skipped out of the room.

"Wait, what!" Raiden called after her, but she ran out of the room faster.

"What did she mean by that?" he asked the others.

Mori shrugged, his eyes lingering in the direction Reina ran off in.

Kyouya and Hani answered at once. "Mr. Hitachiin."

"Really?" Raiden sat down next to Hani.

Hani grabbed a cookie. "Yeah, you should have saw her earlier. She was following him around like a puppy."

"She's just playing around…" Mori defended.

"It was annoying the twins so she acted even more obnoxious," Hani swallowed another cookie.

Just then, Reina reentered the room with Mei, Hikaru and Yuzuha. "Can you please make sure they make me look, you know, like me. Don't let them Photoshop me too much," Reina complained.

Yuzuha stopped near the door and squeezed Reina's cheeks. "I'll see what I can do. In the mean time can you gain a little weight? You're getting way too thin."

"Are you really going to complain about that?"

Yuzuha shrugged. "Take care of that arm," she pointed and then rested her hand on her hip. "Hikaru, Mei, escort me to my car yes? Bye boys! Thanks for coming by."

Reina walked around the room and stopped once she reached Kyouya, who was standing next to the window.

"How has your summer vacation been?" Raiden asked Hani and Mori, ignoring his sister who was talking to Kyouya quietly. Eyeing them from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help thinking he was intruding on something intimate.

"It's been nice having such a long break. Were you able to finish your homework?" Hani asked.

Raiden nodded. "I didn't really have any other choice. I didn't go anywhere."

Haruhi and Kaoru returned to the room.

"Hey, Haruhi!" Reina hopped over to greet her.

"It seems Tamaki is still lost. I'll go look for him." Kyouya leaned away from the window. Reina and Kyouya exchanged the briefest of glances before he left the room.

Reina and Haruhi sat down on a couch and began to talk amongst themselves.

Raiden noticed Kaoru still standing. He had a strange look in his eye, like he was distracted. His concentration moved from Haruhi to the door.

Mei and Hikaru returned to the room.

"Is milord still missing?" Hikaru grinned. He walked up to his brother and picked up the last cookie left on the tray. "It's our favorite. Have you had one yet?"

Kaoru hesitated. "Yeah, I had a few. You have the last one."

Hikaru placed the cookie between his lips, but broke a piece off and jammed it into his brother's mouth. "Don't lie. We share everything."

Kaoru's eyes softened.

Kyouya finally returned with Tamaki in tow.

"Raiden you made it!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Awe, Haruhi, you changed out of your outfit. I didn't get to see it," he whined.

Raiden looked between his friends confused. He felt like he had missed something.

His sister stood from her seat and knelt down before him. "Do you want to do something with me today?"

###

"When you said you wanted to do something," Raiden stared into Toya's warm eyes, "this isn't what I thought you had in mind."

Toya ignored Raiden's quips. "Hello, Haninozuka. Morinozuka," Toya greeted.

"Hi, Toya," Hani replied happily.

"You guys want to go out for a late afternoon snack?" Toya asked.

"Yes!"

The five teens found themselves in a large coffee house overlooking Shibuya crossing.

"Why did you choose such a crowded place?" Raiden squished himself closer to the window overlooking the crossing.

"I like this place," Toya pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose. "They have the best scones. I'll order for you guys. Just tell me what you want."

After they recited their orders, Toya walked over to the line.

Reina leaned over the table and tried to look out the window.

"Thanks for joining me guys," she said, staring out the window.

"It's not big deal, but I wasn't expecting us to run into _him_," Raiden followed her gaze out the window.

"Yeah," Reina waved her hand around, dismissing his comment, "what a coincidence."

Toya returned shortly with their drinks and snacks. He placed a plate of chocolate cake in front of Hani and a scone for himself.

"Are you drinking hot chocolate?" Raiden asked. The whiff of milk chocolate reached his nose. He couldn't help leaning in closer to Toya, who was sitting next to him.

"Hot chocolate is my favorite."

"But it's hot outside."

Toya shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

Raiden looked around his group of friends and sister and noticed they didn't put any particular attention to his choice of drink so he just dropped the subject.

His sister was drinking a cookie crumble frappuccino. His attention moved down her hand to her wrist, where currently, a black arm brace was firmly wrapped around her.

"What happened to your arm?" Raiden questioned.

Reina removed the straw from her mouth as slow as possible, trying to delay her answer. "Uh, I got hurt. It's nothing to worry about."

Raiden shared a concerned look with Mori and Hani across the table, but decided to drop the subject again.

When he went to take another sip of his iced coffee, he remembered something else - Reina and Kyouya's appallingly close conversation back at Kaoru and Hikaru's house.

"What were you and Kyouya talking about?" he asked.

Reina choked on her straw. "Nothing."

"Kyo-chan did mention he was with you a last week. What were you two up to?" Hani asked, finishing the last bit of his cake, all the while looking at his cousin for any reaction.

"You were with Kyouya last week?" Raiden leaned forward over the table.

Mori's attention moved over to her swiftly.

Reina cringed slightly. "Yeah? Yes. I met up with him at Otsu. That's all."

"I heard Kawazawa was there," Toya grinned, resting his cup between his teeth.

Reina groaned. "Yes, he was there too. Anyway, where should we go?" She tried to change the subject.

"I know the perfect place!" Toya slammed his hands on the table.

###

"I love this place!" Reina hopped in place as she stared at the banner for Kinokuniya bookstore.

They all walked inside the store together, until Reina stopped suddenly, a brilliant plan dawning on her mind.

She grabbed a hold of Mori's arm. He stopped abruptly and Hani followed suit.

"Ugh," Reina moaned.

"Nee-chan, what's wrong?" Raiden returned to his sister's side.

"I'm not feeling so well." She tugged on Mori's arm. "Do you think you can take me home?"

Mori's eyes furrowed. Hani seemed to have picked up on her ques because he began to play along. "Are you getting a tummy ache, Rei-chan? We can take you home if you'd like."

"Nee-chan, we don't have to go. We can just go home." Raiden made a move for the door.

"No!" Reina hesitated. "Stay here with Toya. It's the last few days of summer break. I don't want you to stay cooped up in the house." She waved her hand in the air. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Concern evident on Raiden's face.

Reina nodded and pulled Mori toward the exit. "I'll be fine."

"Reina?" Toya walked up next to Raiden. He stared at her with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

Reina wrapped an arm around her stomach. "I don't feel good. I'll see you later," she said rapidly and proceeded to run out the store. Mori and Hani followed quickly.

From around the corner, Reina watched Toya and Raiden speak before walking up the stairs to the next floor of the bookstore.

Reina fist bumped the air. "Great! On to phase 1."

Reina pulled Mori and Hani back into the store and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She continued up the stairs until she found Raiden and Toya on the third floor.

"Rei-chan? What are we doing?" Hani whispered, peering around a bookshelf.

"Haven't you ever wanted to play matchmaker?" Reina mused.

"Should we be doing this?"

"Oh come on. No harm done. Right?"

They kept themselves hidden amongst the bookshelves and followed Raiden and Toya around as best as they could without being caught, all the while, trying their best to listen in to their conversation.

"Raiden look," Toya walked up to him with a box set of books in his hands. "Have you read these books? I've heard a lot of good things about it."

Raiden looked at the bundle in Toya's arms. "Oh, this book series has been turned into a tv show. I like the show. I've been wanting to give the books a try."

"Would you like me to get them for you?" Toya placed the box set underneath his arm.

"What? I can't let you do that," Raiden went to grab it.

"Nuh uh. I'll buy it. Consider it my gift to you for your birthday."

Raiden took a step back. "How do you know it's my birthday."

"It was yesterday right? Your sister told me. Here," Toya handed him another book. "Look at this while I go buy your books."

Raiden dropped himself down into a plush chair near a window.

"Raiden's birthday was yesterday?" Hani whispered into Reina's ear.

She nodded. "Raiden doesn't like placing a lot of attention on himself."

The three teens hid themselves behind a rounded corner that was close to where Raiden was sitting.

Toya returned promptly, dropping the newly purchase books in Raiden's lap. "The cashier highly recommends the books as well." He settled down in the seat next to him.

"How's the book?"

"You know you handed be a BL book right?" Raiden closed the book and handed it over to Toya.

"Oh yeah? Did you learn anything?"

Raiden blushed. "No." He grabbed the bag in his lap and began to look through the newly purchased books. "Thanks for the present," he said, trying to change the subject.

Toya set the BL book aside and rested his head in the palm of his hand. "No problem. I know how much you like to read."

"How do you know?" Raiden leaned into the book and smelled the crisp pages.

"For one, that," Toya pointed to his actions. Raiden dropped the book into his lap immediately. Toya chuckled. "Second, I see you reading all the time."

"Really?"

Toya nodded. "I like to read too, but I don't read as often as you do."

Raiden immediately perked up at Toya's comment. "What kind of books do you like to read?"

"Historical fiction mostly. I like reading about Japanese history too."

"Really? You really like history don't you?" Raiden inquired.

"I love it," Toya moaned.

"Are you going to study it in college?"

Toya nodded. "I want to. I really hope I can make a career out of it."

"Well, you seem really passionate about it. I hope you can too."

Toya smiled. "Thank you. What are you planning on doing after graduation?"

"I," Raiden hesitated. "I don't know."

"Well, do you know what you want to study in college? Do you want to be a writer?"

Raiden eyed Toya from beneath his bangs. "How do you know that?"

Toya rolled his eyes. "Wild guess."

"No," Raiden pushed. "How did _you _know that?"

Toya could hear the seriousness in his tone. "I," he hesitated this time. "Well, you carry more notebooks than a regular person. You have ink stains on your fingers most of the time. You're always reading and I noticed you highlight or underline passages in the books you read sometimes."

Raiden's jaw dropped slightly. "How do you know all this?"

Toya shrugged. He moved his gaze away from him and on to the table. "I pay attention."

They remained silent for a moment.

"Was I right?" Toya finally asked.

Raiden nodded. "I would like to make a living as a writer, but I don't think I can."

"Why not?" Toya leaned in closer. "The world is your oyster, Raiden. You just have to grab it by the horns."

"Oysters don't have horns."

Toya rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. You should try to do it. You already have a group of people supporting you." Toya began to draw circles on the table.

Raiden knew immediately who he was talking about. His siblings and his father. His friends. And Toya. Toya was talking about himself.

"Oh no, I forgot to check out the clearance bin. Do you want to come with me?"

Raiden nodded. From his seated position Raiden could barely see the natural color in Toya's roots growing in.

Toya stood from his seat and began to lead the way.

As they began to walk away, Raiden asked, "is your hair really naturally brown?"

Toya fingered his hair. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Why don't you dye it back? Having it that sandy blonde color is hard to maintain, isn't it?"

Toya shrugged. "I'll consider it."

Reina and the boys watched as her brother and best friend walked away. She squealed quietly. "Toya," she gritted, "he has to make a move soon."

"Why are you trying to set them up, Rei-chan?" Hani stretched himself out of his crouched position.

Reina smiled slyly. "I think they'd be good for each other. Raiden needs someone who'll care for him and pay attention to him."

"They brought up an interesting question, didn't they Takashi?"

Reina cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"About graduation. What are you planning on doing after you graduate from Ouran, Rei-chan?"

Reina grinned widely. "I'm going to take over the world of course."

* * *

><p>Raiden sat down in his new seat. Once situated he immediately took out his newest book, a five hundred paged epic fantasy.<p>

"Good morning, Raiden," Haruhi greeted. She walked past his desk and took the seat behind him. "New seating arrangements," she commented. "They're not bad."

"Nope." Raiden simply shook his head, moving his attention to the front of the room. He was now sitting in the front row, right in front of the teacher and whiteboard.

"What are you reading?" Haruhi began to set out her notebooks and pencils.

"It's a fantasy. Toya gave it to me the other day."

"Really?"

Hikaru and Kaoru walked into the classroom together and proceeded to take the seats on either side of Haruhi.

Raiden noted their appearance, but didn't want to concentrate too much on it, Kaoru was already making him nervous enough.

"Yeah," he continued his conversation with Haruhi. "It was my birthday last week and Toya gave this book and the rest of the series to me as a gift."

"That was sweet of him," said Haruhi.

"It was your birthday last week?" Hikaru leaned forward on his desk. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Raiden?" Kaoru slammed his hands on his desk. "Why didn't you tell me? I was at your house recently too."

Raiden began to blush. He shrugged. "I don't know."

"What did you do for your birthday?" Haruhi asked, the only calm voice among them.

"My sister made me a cake before she went down to Otsu, where apparently she spent most of her time with Kyouya."

"I heard about that," Kaoru finally sat down in his seat. "They seem pretty close don't they? I thought Rei-senpai had the hots for Mori-senpai."

"What?" Raiden placed his bookmark in his book, he couldn't concentrate even if he tried.

"She totally likes Mori-senpai," Hikaru added. "I have a feeling he likes her too, but neither of them want to admit it I guess."

"Why was she in Otsu?" asked Haruhi.

Raiden sighed. He looked between Hikaru and Kaoru one finally time before answering. "Business."

"Are you still...you know," Haruhi insinuated, "following her around?"

Raiden shook his head. "No. I'm going to let my sister continue whatever she is she's doing and only hope for the best." He thought back to the conversation he had with Kyouya all those weeks ago. He needed to trust his sister.

"Good for you, Raiden," Haruhi nodded her head with approval.

###

Reina patted down her yellow cream colored uniform. She stood by the entrance of the classroom along with Mori and Hani.

"Reina," Toya groaned. He shifted his eyes between Mori and Hani. "How could you do that to me the other day?"

"You're such a hypocrite," she pinched his arm. "You're always pushing people to be truthful with their feelings, but you still runaway from yours."

"I'm not running away. I'm just waiting. He's not," he moved his eyes between Hani and Mori again. "Just don't!" he groaned. He swiveled around on his heel and sped walked away from his best friend and classmates.

"He doesn't know we followed them. Sh," she eyed her friends and held up a finger to her lips.

The three third years finally entered the classroom and moved around the room for their new seating assignments. Reina found herself sitting in the last row, one seat a way from the back entrance.

Hani and Mori were both seated in the middle of the room.

"Hey, Reina," Chisaka walked past, bowing his head slightly.

Reina gasped slightly. "Good morning, Chisaka."

He nodded his head in acknowledgment and continued to walk, seating himself in the front.

Once everyone was situated their homeroom teacher stood in the front of the room. "I have an announcement," he began. "As part of our student exchange program, one of your fellow classmates left for England this past year. A student from our sister school in England has selected Ouran Academy for their exchange program."

The homeroom teacher leaned back on his desk. "Therefore, I'm pleased to announce and welcome your newest classmate." He gestured to the door.

The door slid open promptly. A tall, blonde, brown eyed boy walked in and stopped next to the teacher. "Morning, classmates," he waved. "My name is Adrien Hollands. I'll be your classmate for this term." He bowed. Once he returned to his standing position, his eyes landed directly on Reina's, unwavering.

Reina gasped, her eyes growing wide. He was the boy from the festival.

Adrien grinned brightly.

"Hollands-kun, why don't you sit down in front of Moriyama over there," the teacher pointed to her. "She could use some proper etiquette training, which I've heard you're quite astute with."

Adrien walked down the row toward Reina. "That I am."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! Leave a review :)

Living Different Lives is almost done! I'm currently writing the last chapter now and I'm planning an epilogue. Thank you for reading this story! I really appreciate it. I just hope the last few chapters don't feel rushed (they probably will, but oh well).

A few recent reviews have stated that they really want Raiden and Kaoru to get together. First, I'd like to thank you for reviewing! It means a lot to me :) Second, by reading that it makes me think that I've really done these characters justice and I've created characters you happen to root for and that makes me even happier. Now, whether Raiden and Kaoru do get together...we'll just have to see ;) (I'm mean - I'm sorry).


	25. Chapter 25 - Collective Reasoning

Chapter 25 - Collective Reasoning

"So what fun things are there to do around here?" Adrien Hollands held a straw between his well manicured fingers. His brown eyes stared straight into her gray ones.

Reina opened and closed her mouth, willing herself to say something, but nothing came out. She began to pull at her hair unconsciously.

Mori and Hani sat next to her. For moral support? She'll never know, but she was internally grateful for their presence.

"On campus? Or in Tokyo?" She finally said.

"Both. All of the above. I want to experience this place while I can." He threw a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Your Japanese is surprisingly good," Hani interjected, trying to defuse the growing tension he was feeling between his friend and new classmate.

"You think so? Thanks. My father told me to start studying it after he announced he wanted to do business here in Japan." Adrien's line of vision didn't leave Reina's once.

###

Reina dropped down in the seat next to her tall and dark classmate.

His eyes roved over her, noting her cheerful demeanor absent and her slouching shoulders betraying her sour mood.

"Rei-chan?" Hani asked quietly.

A trio of girls dropped down in the love seat across from Hani and Mori.

"Did you see the new exchange student?" One gushed.

"He is so handsome!"

"No, he's gorgeous!"

Reina threw her head back and let out a quiet groan, only loud enough for Mori to hear.

Reina felt a soft tap on her shoulders. She whipped around and found Kyouya staring down at her.

"Senpai? Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked, using his head to point to the side of the room.

"Sure," she grumbled.

He held out his hand and helped her out of her seat. He led her away from everyone without saying a word. Mori watched them walk away.

Once they were out of earshot, he dropped her hand slowly, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm sure you're tired of hearing this by now, but are you alright?" He asked, his eyebrows stitched together in concern.

Reina's eyebrows rose in surprise. "No one has actually asked me that today."

"How's your arm?"

"You're changing the subject."

"You're not wearing your arm brace anymore," he said.

Kyouya's eyes had a softer edge to them, something she'd never seen before. She pushed herself back until she rested against the wall. His genuine concern surprised her.

"My arm is better. I didn't want people to ask questions," she admitted, running her hand over her hurt arm.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I'm nervous," she confessed. She took a quick glance around the room. Everyone was distracted by the hosts. No one noticed her impromptu conversation with Kyouya.

"I don't know what any of this means. My grandfather hasn't told me anything about this company." She felt tears beginning to prick around her eyes.

Kyouya took a step closer, grabbed her hand and placed a cotton handkerchief in her palm, before running his fingers over her knuckles.

"What if something is wrong with the company and my grandfather is hiding it from me?" She hiccuped, holding back tears. "Would everything I'm doing be worthless?"

"Don't-"

"Would it?" she breathed.

###

"Mori-senpai?" Raiden wiped the sweat off his forehead. He thought his tall friend was an apparition, but apparently the tall third year really was standing there.

"Reina said you might need a ride home," Mori said, getting straight to the point. "We offered to give you a ride." He looked toward his cousin who was examining some flowers.

"Oh? Thanks. I appreciate it."

Just then a few of his teammates began filling out of the archery dojo. Some said a few quick goodbyes.

Hayashi stopped abruptly in front of Raiden, as if he was surprised to see him there. He dropped his gaze away from Raiden. "Good job today, Moriyama," he grumbled, his usual enthusiastic demeanor missing.

"Thank you...senpai…"

"Kentaro?" A new voice interrupted.

Raiden's and Hayashi's head shot up. Toya was standing before them, staring incredulously.

"What are you doing?" Toya aimed his question at Hayashi.

Hayashi narrowed his eyes. "Nothing." He left before anything else was said.

Toya stared after his ex-boyfriend.

"Your hair," Raiden stared in awe. Toya's once sandy blonde was replaced by a dark brown hue. Toya had dyed his hair back to his natural color. "You dyed your hair brown."

Toya ran his fingers through his hair. He smiled slightly. "I did." His attention switched between Raiden and Hayashi. "I," he stammered. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

Toya gave him one last look before sprinting after Hayashi.

Raiden's spirits deflated. He stared after Toya and watched as he reached Hayashi. Raiden was confused by what he was feeling. Was he disappointed? He was so used to having Toya following around him, so the one time he chose someone else over him, he was surprised and upset.

"Raiden?" Mori questioned.

"Let's go," Raiden replied.

* * *

><p>Raiden settled in the seat next to Kaoru. Their history class was situated in Library #2 for their latest research project. To his luck, Raiden was partnered up with him.<p>

"Should we write a paper, make a video, poster, or a slide show?" Kaoru asked.

Raiden failed to answer, leaving Kaoru hanging.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You look distracted." Kaoru pushed an open textbook before them, making it look like they were getting work done. "You've haven't visited the club in like a week. Is something the matter?"

Raiden hated to admit it, but Toya's actions the week prior, just brushing him off, bothered him. He couldn't quite place it. Why was it bothering him so much?"

"Is it Toya?"

Raiden jumped away in surprise. "How do you know?"

Kaoru shrugged and tried to stop a smile from forming. His slight grin caused Raiden's heart to flutter.

"You seem out of it and so does he. He's been avoiding you lately. Did something happen?"

"He's been avoiding me?" He knew he hadn't seen him around much, but he thought it was because he was busy.

"Yeah and he's doing a horrible job at hiding it. We literally almost ran into him a few days ago and he just up and ran away. I thought for sure he confessed to you or something, but I guess that wasn't the case."

Raiden's cheeks began to heat up. "What do you, what?" he stuttered.

"Maybe it was something else," Kaoru reasoned with a shrug. "Confessions are never really easy to handle."

Raiden hid his face behind his hands. "Really?" he mumbled. "Do you…?"

"I have loads of experience," Kaoru continued, "in that department. Before, Hikaru and I used to make a game out of it. The confessions have dwindled a bit since the start of this year, but it's getting harder and harder."

Raiden took his fingers away from his eyes and took a large gulp. "What's to say, someone came up to you right now, with all honesty and sincerity," he stumbled, "and confessed to you right now. This very second. What would you say?"

Kaoru leaned into the palm of his hand and pondered. "Right this very second? I would really think about it and give them a honest answer. Before, I would have brushed it off and joked, but now I'd have to answer them honestly, because if I were to confess I'd want the same treatment."

Raiden straightened himself in his seat. "Kaoru I -"

Kaoru moved his concentration to Raiden, his eyebrows perked up, listening.

Raiden let out a hasty breath. "What would your answer be?"

Kaoru sighed. "Thank you, but, I can't return your feelings."

Raiden suddenly felt all the hope in the world crashing down around him.

* * *

><p>Reina hesitated slightly. He was making her nervous, not the usual nervous she felt around good looking boys (ex; host club). No, it was a nervous aching growing in her stomach.<p>

"I heard this is the best frozen yogurt place in the area," Adrien shifted from foot to foot.

Reina stood silently beside him, hoping he didn't catch on to her agitation.

"I've been here for a few weeks now," he continued, "but I haven't seen much of Tokyo, or Japan really. Just the neighborhood."

Someone bumped into her from behind. She turned around slowly and blushed at the sight of the boy standing before her. "Morinozuka-kun?"

"Hey, Rei-chan!" Hani appeared on top Mori's shoulders. "We didn't know you were going to be here."

Two other forms appeared behind the tall senior. Kyouya and Raiden revealed themselves.

A sigh of relief escaped from Reina's lips.

"Oh? Hello, fellow classmates. It's good to see you out of class," Adrien smiled brightly. He inched closer to Reina, his arm brushing across her's. She shivered at the touch.

"Raiden?" she questioned.

"Oh hey!" he greeted too enthusiastically, he dropped his fake grin. "Nice bumping into you, huh?"

"Kyouya?" she peered around Mori. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a car," he deadpanned, giving a sideways glance toward Raiden.

"Do you want to come to Sensoji Temple with us?" Adrien asked.

"Sure," Raiden moved past Mori. "I want to go." He shot his sister a reassuring glance.

###

"It's quite large," Adrien commented. "It's a popular tourist destination, correct?"

Adrien had a strong hold on Reina's arm, holding it in the crook of his own.

"Yes, Asakusa is the most popular," Reina explained, "they hold a lot of festivals here as well."

"How exciting. Can we go through Nakamise-dori when we're done with the temple?" Adrien asked as they inched closer to the entrance to the temple.

The crowds were minimal considering it was a September afternoon. Luckily, the visited during the downtime of tourist season.

"Who is he?" Raiden whispered to his upperclassmen.

They were walking a few paces behind Reina and Adrien.

"He's a new exchange student," Hani explained, keeping his gaze on the teens in front of them.

"An exchange student?"

"From England," Kyouya added, "He's a member of a very prominent family in Europe."

"Why is he so attached to my sister?" Raiden finally asked.

Mori, Hani, and Kyouya all shot him questioning glances, they were all wondering the same thing.

Raiden felt himself cower underneath their gaze. "Isn't he the boy from the summer festival?"

Kyouya groaned. "Yes."

Raiden was still confused.

###

"Reina, come look at this!" Adrien exclaimed, once they exited the temple.

Raiden noticed Mori stiffen. "Mori-senpai?"

Reina let Adrien lead her to a shop a few feet away from the others.

Raiden walked instep with Mori. "Mori-senpai?" he questioned again. "Are you okay?"

Mori's gaze lingered on the foreign exchange student. "I'm fine."

Raiden followed his gaze. Adrien looked harmless. He was actually quite handsome. His blonde hair fell over his eyes when he leaned his head to the side and his honey, brown colored eyes always seemed to glisten in the light.

However, Raiden could could tell his sister was feeling uncomfortable with him. He was trying to figure out why and he kept trying to talk and walk with them, but Adrien kept maneuvering away from them.

"Is he, _interested _in my sister?" Raiden asked.

Mori shrugged. "I hope not," Raiden heard him mutter.

* * *

><p>A week later, Reina burst into the club room, interrupting the host club's current planning, but the only one's present Tamaki, Mori, Hikaru, Haruhi, and Raiden. Kyouya, Hani, and Kaoru were missing.<p>

Without missing a beat, Adrien Hollands walked in after, sporting a grin on his face.

"Who thought it would be a good idea to split up the student body for this _sports festival_? I'm stuck with Hollands!" Reina pointed to the teen.

Tamaki had announced the beginning of Ouran's very first sports festival earlier that week, determined to compete against Kyouya.

Adrien pouted. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

She whipped her head around and glared. "It is! Oh, Hollands. It is on. You're going down!"

Adrien smirked and took a step closer to Reina, staring down into her eyes. "We're on the same team," he whispered.

"Who is that?" Haruhi asked, grabbing Tamaki's attention.

"He's an exchange student. He transferred into 3A."

"He's in my sister's class," Raiden added. "Is it okay to keep them both together on the same team?" Raiden questioned. "They don't seem to be getting along."

Tamaki couldn't help smiling. "It's fine. Anyway, Kyouya is going to need someone like _her _on his team. Someone who's just like him."

The hosts watched as Reina and Adrien bickered out the door.

"What do you mean just like him?" Raiden asked, feeling his stomach drop. Kyouya had said the same thing before.

Tamaki held up a finger. "What word would you use to describe Kyouya?"

Haruhi leaned forward. "_Cool_ or maybe _detached_."

Hikaru thought for a second. "_Scheming_."

Raiden shrugged.

Tamaki grinned. "I think Kyouya is _passionate_."

* * *

><p>"Why do we have to do this?" Reina groaned. She plopped down in the seat next to Kyouya.<p>

After a few days of planning and strategizing, the sports festival had begun. The White team, their team, were currently in the lead.

"Are you prepared for the relay?" Kyouya asked, his tone low and serious.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"There are a lot of parents here," Kaoru stood next to them, staring into the seats of the sports arena.

Reina willed herself not to look behind her.

"Are you parents here?" Kaoru asked both of them.

Reina simply shook her head and kept her eyes trained on the ground.

"They would never come," Kyouya responded. "Not to something like this. If my parents were to attend, I would have used a different strategy."

Reina glanced in Kyouya's direction, but he ignored her questioning gaze.

Both teens missed the confusion running across Kaoru's face.

###

"But _who _is he?" Raiden asked. The sports festival was almost over and the Red team, their team, was catching up to the White team's score.

Raiden and Hikaru were looking over to the white team. Reina was sitting alone until Adrien joined her on the bleachers.

"Adrien Hollands?" Hikaru sat down beside him. "I heard he's the son of the _Terra Lux_ executive. _Terra Lux_ is one of the largest private equity firms in Europe," Hikaru explained.

"Private equity?"

"Yeah, companies like that usually buy or acquire failing companies and try to reform them," Hikaru replied slimply.

The boys exchanged knowing looks.

"_Buy_?" Raiden breathed. A chill just ran up and down Raiden's spine.

They both looked across the way and watched as Reina and Adrien conversed.

###

"Nice relay," Adrien commented, leaning against the railing.

They watched as the final two legs of the relay exchanged batons.

"Thanks," Reina grumbled.

"Awe, don't look so down in the dumps. It was a compliment."

She shrugged his praise off. "Whatever."

"It's strange, isn't it?" he suddenly asked. "Watching two best friends compete so fiercely. I question their motives."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think those two are _really _friends?" he questioned, "or merely friends with benefits, you know, minus the sexual component."

"They're friends," Reina quickly defended. "They _care _about each other."

"Really?" Adrien smirked, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, he gave her a sideways glance. "Do you think _we _could be like that?"

"Friends?"

He nodded. He looked at something over her head. "It looks like we won."

He straightened himself, gave her one more icy stare, and then walked away, leaving her confused.

"Reina," Kyouya's cold voice interrupting her thoughts. He pulled her aside and began to speak in hushed tones, "don't let him get to you."

"What?" She was too distracted by the sweat trailing down the side of his face and his breaths coming out in short puffs.

"Don't let him get under your skin," he warned. "He's trying to get you to lower your guard."

"But, he just asked-"

"Exactly," his expression turned sour, his face inching closer to her's, "don't let him get you."

She shivered under his touch and tone. What was she supposed to do? "I can't-"

"Yes, you can." He straightened himself out, but kept firm hold on her hand.

"We won!" Hani bounced toward them, followed by Kaoru.

Tamaki and the others soon joined them. "You won, fair and square, Kyouya."

With their arrival, Kyouya finally released her hand from his grip, slowly, and in such a way that all the hosts noticed. Especially Mori, who stared openly and fidgeted in place.

Raiden could feel the giant third year's movements and see his roving eyes between Reina and Kyouya.

* * *

><p>Reina tapped her foot against the linoleum floor. She'd never been to an airport and was at awe by the large windows overlooking the tarmac.<p>

"Reina?" Kyouya jogged up to her, a small carry on bag rolled behind him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Late start today." She looked around his figure and noticed most of the second years walking toward the Ouran waiting area. "I probably shouldn't have come."

Kyouya looked over his shoulder. "It's fine. If not, they'll just spread some gossip. More customers for the host club," he reasoned.

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, I'll just embarrass you like you embarrased me at the sports festival."

"That was days ago."

"Whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to see you off and wish you a safe flight."

"Thank you," he muttered. He took hold of her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles and fingers. "Please be careful and take what I said to you to heart."

"That was almost a week ago. He hasn't-"

"Just be careful," the hard edge that was always present in his gaze returned.

She smiled slightly. "You're always touching me," she teased.

He tugged at her hand slightly, but she noticed a hint of pink spread across his nose. This made her grin. "It's the only way I think you'll listen."

Reina let out a laugh and blushed. She tugged her hand out of his reach and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please be safe. Don't get in trouble," she whispered.

He dropped his carry on and wrapped his arms around her torso. "How do you know?"

"I know everything," she whispered into his ear. "As long as you're over there searching for _his_ mother-"

"I'll bring you back a souvenir," he interrupted.

She let go of his neck and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Thanks, that's all I ask."

###

"Cake?" Reina stared at her classmates. Hani and Mori were standing next to her desk. For once Adrien wasn't hanging around her desk.

"Yeah, since the host club is on hiatus for the next two weeks, while Kyo-chan and Tama-chan are in France, I thought we could all eat some cake in the club room."

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Can you go get Raiden? I want us all to have some cake."

"Okay!"

Mori picked up her book bag from her desk. "I'll take this to the club room," he offered.

Reina blushed. "Thank you."

He began to walk past her desk, but stopped abruptly.

"Rei-chan?" Hani leaned over her desk, taking a long whiff in her direction. "Why do you smell like Kyo-chan?"

She took a step back. "What? No, I don't. I'll meet you guys in the club room, yeah?" She took another hesitant step backward and then ran out the room. How could they smell him on her? It's been a whole day since she saw him at the airport. She shook the thought of her head.

She sped walked toward the library, searching for her brother. If she was going to find him anywhere, he'd probably be wandering around or in the library.

She rounded the corner and bumped right into him. "Raiden! Hani invited us to eat some cake in the club room. Join us."

Raiden contemplated. "Sure, I don't mind."

The two siblings began to walk toward the stairway when Raiden grabbed his sister's arm suddenly. "Nee-chan? Is Toya avoiding me?"

Reina stopped suddenly. Her best friend's actions haven't gone unnoticed by Raiden, the hosts, or her. "What makes you think that?"

"It's just-" Raiden stopped abruptly, his eyes growing wide.

"What?" Reina looked in the direction he was staring at and found Kaoru and Hikaru on the stairs, having a loud disagreement.

"We should just adopt Haruhi," Hikaru offered, a smile wavering on his lips, "so we'll all be together."

"Are you stupid, Hikaru?" Adopting her was a joke. Do you want to play house forever?" Kaoru yelled, gesticulating with his arms harshly. "I'm so tired of your childishness! You really want to share Haruhi with Me? I don't want that. I don't want to share her with you or milord! I'll never step aside for you if that's how you're going to be."

Raiden hesitated on the steps. "Haruhi?" he whispered. He took a step back and then ran down the hall at full speed.

"Raiden!" Reina called after him.

Kaoru and Hikaru turned at the commotion.

"Rei-senpai?" Hikaru muttered.

She shook her head and turned around to run after her brother.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! What did you think? Sorry if this one felt choppy :\ I have a feeling the rest of the chapters are going to feel like this. I just want to get this story down and have you guys read it D:

That being said, I just finished writing the final chapter! At least I think I did. I'm not sure if I should turn my planned epilogue into a chapter and then have an epilogue. I have a lot of thinking to do. But, this story is almost over! It should be done by the end of August or even sooner :D

Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 26 - 3rd Step: Acceptance

Chapter 26 - 3rd Step: Acceptance

Reina grinned into the palm of her hand. She skimmed through the rest of her email before slipping her phone into her book bag.

"What are you grinning about, Rei-chan?" Hani asked with a grin of his own.

He skipped before her as he and Mori led the way to their classroom.

"Kyouya sent me an email this morning. That's all."

Hani's demeanor darkened slightly. "You and Kyo-chan seem pretty close now. Why is that?"

Reina shrugged. "Kyouya and I see eye to eye on a lot of things. That's all."

"How's the class trip going?" Hani asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"It seems to be very productive." Reina slid into her seat. "I wonder what France is like. I think I'd like to visit one day."

"Oh, Rei-chan," Hani dropped his stuffed rabbit on her desk. "We have to start brainstorming our class's activity for the cultural festival. It's a little more than a month away."

"Oh? I'm so excited!"

Somebody suddenly bumped into the side of her desk.

"Oh, sorry," Chisaka wiped at his forehead. "Reina, what's up?"

Reina felt her heart swell. Chisaka had been avoiding her for the greater part of the month and would only exchange short greetings or maybe if she was lucky, a nod of the head.

"Hello, Chisaka."

"Are you guys already talking about the cultural festival? I vote we do a play." He wiped his forehead again. "I think it'll be fun."

"A play for what?" Adrien dropped down in the desk next to Reina.

Reina groaned.

###

Raiden hesitated by his desk. He could tell something was strained between Kaoru and Hikaru, which he wasn't surprised by, after what he saw the day before, he knew both brothers would be strained.

He could hardly look Kaoru in the eye. When he saw Hikaru run out the room, he felt for him. It was hard to watch someone you've come to care about, interact with someone else. It hurts even more after you realize you might be in love with them in the first place.

At this moment, Raiden felt like an idiot, but he didn't know what to do. Did Kaoru and Hikaru both like Haruhi? And from what he heard yesterday, Tamaki might be in love with Haruhi as well. Were all the hosts in love with her?

Kaoru was crowding around Haruhi's desk. He was grinning about something.

A fresh wave of pain traveled through his chest.

###

"Hey." Reina grabbed Mori's arm and pulled him aside. Hani followed behind him.

"Rei-chan?"

"What's going on?" she asked, her arms crossing before her.

"What do you mean?"

"You two know what's going on with Kaoru and Hikaru. Why don't you do something?"

"There isn't anything we can do," Hani replied. "We're just offering our help and support...that's all." Hani shrugged.

Reina glanced between Mori and Hani. "They were fighting yesterday. It sounded awful."

Hani looked out the window adjacent to them. "It's just something they have to go through."

"Is this about Raiden?" Mori asked.

Reina's eyes flicked over to the tall brunette. His gaze caused her heart to flutter. She opened her mouth to say something, but his strong gaze made her reconsider. She found herself staring out the window as well.

"This is about the boys and… about Haruhi," Reina finally said. "They," she hesitated. It was hard to get her mind around. She had an inkling about Tamaki and she wasn't surprised by that news, but she was surprised by Kaoru and Hikaru. "They like Haruhi."

She gasped. A new thought suddenly crept into her mind. Did all the hosts have a crush on Haruhi?

"Do you," she pointed an accusatory finger toward Mori and Hani, "do you two like Haruhi as well? No," she shook her head, waiting for their responses, "do you?"

Hani didn't reply, but kept a firm gaze on her. Mori on the other hand, looked away from her scrutiny.

"Morinozuka-kun? Kyouya," she stated, "how about Kyouya?"

Mori lifted his gaze at the sound of Kyouya's name.

"Oh my god, you all like her?" she continued, "don't you think that's a little-"

"We don't all like her," Hani interrupted.

"What do we do?" Reina breathed out.

"We'll just help them if they need it," Hani responded.

"This is going to break Raiden's heart," Reina whispered. She spun around on her heel and walked away.

* * *

><p>"Rei-chan, Rai-chan!" Hani pointed to a nearby food stall. "Should we eat something first or should we go on a ride?"<p>

"Haninozuka-kun, why are we at the amusement park?" Reina looked around. There was a healthy crowd of young people and families milling about.

"Why are we all here?" Raiden looked between Hikaru, Mori, Hani, and Reina. "I just want to go home. I have homework to do."

"Me too," Hikaru grumbled.

"No, let's all hang out. We haven't done that in a while," Hani whined.

Hani began to lead them through the park, bringing up random topics for conversation such as the second year's school trip and the upcoming cultural festival.

"Is that-?" Hikaru stopped, his gaze concentrated about hundred yards away. "Kaoru?"

Raiden's head whipped around.

They watched as Kaoru sat down next to Haruhi. Kaoru leaned over and kissed Haruhi on the cheek.

Before she had a chance to stop him, Raiden ran away from the scene, barely slipping through her fingers.

"Raiden!" She called after him.

"Hikaru?" Hani looked around, searching for the other Hitachiin twin.

Reina stomped toward her classmate. "Did you bring us here for _this_?" Reina yelled, tears threatened to fall, "How could you?"

She took a step back and ran.

* * *

><p>Raiden hardly spoke to Hikaru, Kaoru, or Haruhi after that day. Haruhi didn't know what was going on, so he gave her the benefit of the doubt.<p>

He noticed Hikaru and Kaoru got over whatever hill they had come across. Shortly before Kyouya and the rest of the second years returned from their class trip, Hikaru dyed his hair brown.

Raiden wondered about it briefly until he learned the twins were determined to become more individual and separate from each other.

He thought that was all well and good and he was happy for both of them, but he wasn't happy about what he learned. Hikaru and Kaoru both liked Haruhi.

Did Raiden have such high hopes for something that probably could never happen?

Raiden exited to the south lawn. Once he settled on the pathway he was surprised to see Mori standing, stoically, and staring off into the distance.

"Mori-senpai?" Raiden asked, walking around him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just taking a walk," Mori replied slowly.

"Can I join you?"

Mori shrugged. Raiden took that as a yes and followed closely once Mori started walking around the grounds.

They walked silently for a long while, letting the cool autumn air whip around them.

November had come upon them and the cultural festival was exactly a month away. Raiden no longer had any tests to cram for and was grateful for the new form of distraction he'll be embarking on.

Raiden bumped into Mori's arm. "I'm sorry, senpai."

When Mori didn't reply, Raiden looked around his tall figure and found what had his senpai so distracted.

Reina was sitting next to Adrien under one of the canopies on the south law. They were leaning over dozens of papers. Their heads were close to knocking into each other.

Raiden was uncomfortable with their closeness, but he noticed his sister's previous aversion to the foreign exchange student was gone. She pointed and talked animatedly toward the papers on the table, which Adrien returned with gusto.

"Mori-senpai?"

Mori spun around on his heel and left before his classmates noticed him even being there.

Raiden jumped in surprise. He'd never seen Mori act this way. Instead of continuing to watch his sister and her new friend, he decided to run after Mori.

He caught up to him a few dozen yards away. Raiden had to catch his breath. "Mori-senpai, what's wrong?" he huffed.

"Nothing," Mori deadpanned.

"You know, if you have a probably with the new guy you can say so."

Mori stopped and looked at Raiden in the eye. "You think I have a problem with him?"

Raiden stammered. "Well, you never seem happy when he's around."

"Kyouya told her to stay away from him," he said, his voice low.

Raiden scoffed. "My sister never usually listens to warnings like that. It did look like she was wary of him for awhile, but it seems she got over it."

Mori rolled his shoulders a few times, like he was preparing himself for a fight.

"I know you care about my sister and I'm glad to know that, but this is my sister's decision and we have to respect that. Even if we don't agree with it. That's something I had to learn the hard way."

Raiden suddenly noticed Mori's eyes widen and a slight pink dust his cheeks.

"Mori-senpai? Are you getting sick?"

"You think I care about her?"

Raiden fidgeted in place. He felt nervous under Mori's gaze. "Yeah. Just like how Hani-senpai and Tamaki-senpai cares for her. And Kyouya-senpai."

"We don't care for her the same way," Mori mumbled.

"What?" Raiden's head quirked to the side.

"Mitsukuni and I. Tamaki and Kyouya. We care for her, but not in the same way." Mori looked over Raiden's head one last time before leaving both Moriyama siblings in the garden.

Raiden stared after him in confusion.

* * *

><p>Reina settled into her seat in the back of the classroom. Adrien was seated next to her, sketching.<p>

"Alright guys," Chiyo stood in the front of the class. "We need to decide what we're going to do for the cultural festival. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

"Let's make a cafe!" Someone shouted.

"Scavenger hunt!"

"A play!" Chisaka screeched, leaning forward in his seat.

"A play?" Chiyo pointed a finger to her chin. "That sounds interesting. We'd have to coordinate with the drama club, but I think we could do that."

"A play?" some girls questioned. "That would be so much fun!"

"There's a lot of stuff we can do for the play," Hajime, the other class rep, commented. "We'll need someone to work with the costumes. Set design. Advertising and posters. The programs as well. We'll need people to write the script. And the actors of course."

Some girls squealed.

"A play? Is it settled? Shall we take a vote? Raise your hand if you want to do a play?" Chiyo rose her hand as did much of the class. The only one didn't was Reina.

"Moriyama?" Hajime asked.

"What?" She regained her concentration.

"I'll take that as a yes."

A few students chuckled.

Reina glared.

"Alright. Let me make up some sheets for the different groups and we'll pass them around. Sign up for which committee you want to be a part of," Hajime took out his notebook and began scribbling away.

"We need to decide which play to do. Or if we're going to create our own," Chiyo announced.

"Sleeping Beauty," someone mentioned dreamily.

"How about Snow White," suggested another.

"Oh, I love both of those. Hm, this might be hard," Chiyo whined.

"How about we do both of them or a mix of them, or something," Chisaka offered.

"We can do that," Chiyo's mood lightened. "What do you guys think? We can rewrite the stories and give it our own spin."

A few yeahs echoed around the room.

"That's settled! Okay, if you're interested in writing the script, please sign up on the paper and at the end of the meeting we'll get together and try to collaborate. Hopefully we can have the script done soon so we can start designing the set and assigning the actors. Meeting adjourned!"

Reina sighed. The last thing she wanted was to be distracted by the cultural festival.

###

The best thing for him right now was the cultural festival. He could hardly concentrate in class and the cultural festival would definitely offer a good dose of distraction for Raiden. He was determined to do well.

"Raiden, are you okay with having us do a scavenger hunt?" Haruhi asked.

Raiden tried his best to be civil, especially since his sour mood wasn't Haruhi's fault. "Yeah. It sounds like fun. I can't wait to start writing the riddles."

"There actually isn't much to do with a scavenger hunt," Hikaru complained, leaning over his desk.

"Yeah," Kaoru added.

"Sure there is," Raiden said before he could stop himself.

Hikaru and Kaoru both faced him, but Raiden couldn't look them in the eye.

"We can have groups of people located at the sites for any assistance. We can also have skits or have people play out the riddles."

Hikaru shrugged. "I suppose."

Raiden concentrated on his notebook.

* * *

><p>"Oomph!" Reina dropped to the floor.<p>

"Rei-senpai," Kyouya leaned forward and held a hand out, ready to help her up.

She grabbed his hand and let him help her up, noting immediately his strong grip. Once standing, she dusted herself off.

"Why are you in such a rush?"

"My class is having a meeting for the cultural festival and they're picking the actors. I thought I could get away, but Chiyo just sent me a text cursing me out," she held up her phone.

Kyouya examined it, his mouth in a straight line. "She doesn't seem happy."

"No! So, now I've got to go before she kills me."

"Why didn't you want to be there in the first place?"

"I don't want to get chosen to act. Gah! I'd rather put up the set or something. I don't know. I need to go!" She ran past him.

"Good luck!" He called after her.

She waved, keeping a steady pace.

###

"Reina, you've been chosen to be the princess!" Chiyo said, a warm smile on her face.

"No," Reina groaned and banged her head on her desk.

"What's so bad about being the princess?" Adrien asked, scooping up his sketches and placing them in a folder. "It's the best role."

"You're so well suited for it," Chiyo cooed. She dropped a copy of the script on Reina's desk. "We'll start rehearsals on Friday." She spun around on her heel and walked away.

Reina hid her face in her hands.

"I think you'll do great," Adrien insisted. "I know you'll look amazing because I'm designing your outfits."

"Really?" She piped.

"You bet. You'll be the most beautiful one there."

"Shut up," she groaned.

"Who else is acting in the play?" Adrien grabbed her script. "Nekozawa as Maleficent, or supposed Maleficent, okay, that makes sense. Ooh…"

"What?" She snatched the script back. "What is it?"

"Look who's playing the prince."

She scanned the front sheet and next to prince, Chiyo had written in her neat blocky handwriting, Takashi Morinozuka.

"Oh god," she groaned once again. She lifted her gaze from the script and gazed around the room. Her eyes caught on a blond mop of hair.

Hani waved at her happily, while Mori sat in his seat, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

Reina groaned again.

* * *

><p>"I don't see why we need pine cones or acorns or whatever," Reina complained.<p>

Hani skipped beside her, swinging a basket at his side. "I don't know, but it'll be fun. Just watch."

The two third years settled down on the floor of the garden, next to a large tree.

"That first run through was, hrm, interesting," Hani commented, trying to start a conversation.

"Interesting? It was a disaster. They shouldn't have chosen me."

"You'll be a great princess. Just like Takashi will be a great prince. You two just need practice."

"God," she moaned. "It's even worse because Morinozuka-kun is the _prince_."

"Why do you say that?" Hani asked.

"Eh? Oh, because, uh," She stammered.

A crunching sound resounded off the grass next to the tree they were situated next to.

Reina gasped and hid behind the tree, pulling Hani after her.

"What are we doing?" he whined.

"I don't know." She looked around the trunk and noticed her brother walking across the lawn. "Oh, it's just my brother."

Raiden was looking all around him.

"What is he doing?"

###

Raiden stepped over the lawn of the north garden. He was sure this was the perfect place for the third leg of the scavenger hunt.

"Raiden!"

A voice he hadn't heard in weeks bounced around in his brain. For a second he thought he imagined it, but once _his _cologne wafted over himself, he knew _he_ was standing behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Toya seemed breathless. "I'm heading over to the west gym. We're using it for the festival."

Raiden nodded in understanding.

"Raiden, I-"

"Stop," his voice dropped. He concentrated on Toya's shoes, polished to perfection. "You've been ignoring me for the longest time. How am I supposed to-"

"I'm sorry," Toya's voice was low. He took a step closer to where Raiden was standing. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I was nervous and I didn't know what to do."

"Didn't know what to do about what?"

"You," Toya mumbled. "I didn't know what to do about you."

"Why me?"

"Oh, come on Raiden!" Toya sounded suddenly frustrated."You sister told me what happened with Kaoru."

Raiden gulped. "Are you kidding me?" He felt tears prick in his eyes. He avoided Toya's gaze.

"She told me what happened and it tore me apart in side."

A gasp escaped from Raiden. "What do you mean?"

"Raiden, it hurt me to hear what happened. I honestly wanted to go up to the first years wing and grab him by the collar and ask him why he did it, but he wasn't going to understand." Toya licked his lips. "But I realized after what happened that I had to do this."

"Do what?" Raiden breathed.

Toya took a hesitant step forward. "I knew from the moment I met you."

"What?"

Raiden gripped the hem of his blazer for support. He didn't move, but watched tentatively as Toya walked closer and closer until he was standing just before him.

"I knew I liked you all the way back then, but since then, after getting to know you, I think I might-"

"No," Raiden gasped. He was about to cry for a whole other reason. Was Toya confessing? If he was, Raiden didn't know what to say.

Maybe he was too distracted by the warmth Toya always seemed to emit or the heat of his breath on his nose, which smelled strangely like hot chocolate. A scent he had grown so accustomed too. A scent he knew belonged to Toya.

"Toya-"

"You've never used my first name before," the taller boy stammered.

Raiden dropped his eyes to the ground. He couldn't see the yellowing grass because Toya was standing so close.

Toya used his hands to guide Raiden's face back to his. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before Toya's eyes trailed down to rest on Raiden's lips.

"I've been trying to find the nerve to do this for a whole month." Toya tilted his head slightly. He could feel Raiden's heart beat quicken underneath his fingertips. He pushed himself forward and their lips met with so much force Raiden thought Toya was using him as an anchor.

Raiden's eyes were open in surprise. He noticed Toya's furrowed eyebrows above his closed eyes.

The kiss. The hottest thing Raiden's ever felt in the sixteen years he's been alive. Toya's lips felt hot against his mouth and he began to tremble under the sensation of Toya's touch on his neck and cheeks.

Toya's fingers were soft against his skin and Raiden briefly wondered what it would be like to hold his hand.

His lips. No, _his_ lips. They were softer and warmer than he anticipated. And wetter.

Standing this close to him and with his hands splayed over his torso, Raiden noticed just how muscular Toya really was. He was only wearing the uniform shirt, but he could feel his abs underneath the layers.

Toya's concentrated look made him shiver, as if _this _moment was the most important.

He suddenly tasted the twinge of milk chocolate.

Toya felt Raiden stiffen and immediately broke away. The first thing he noticed was Raiden's wide eyed expression of pure terror and surprise. His face was flushed beyond belief and he was breathing rapidly. Toya would even bet his last paycheck that there was tears building up in his eyes.

"Raiden, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Toya was breathless. He dropped his hands to his side and shook his head as if he was trying to erase the memory of what he just did."Forgive me," he mumbled, before scurrying away toward the school.

It wasn't until he was gone did Raiden feel his own breathing return to normal and found it strange that he longed for a taste of chocolate.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> Thanks for reading! If it seems rushed I apologize!

But, omg what did you think?! This was my first kissing scene. I hope I didn't screw it up. Let me know what you thought.

Special treat: Two chapter updates today! This chapter and chapter 27. Next week is the final week and Living Different Lives will be officially done. Thanks for everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed. (Also, if you haven't noticed, I updated the summary. A reviewer commented on it and I agreed with what they said. I hope it reflects this story a whole lot better now).


	27. Chapter 27 - Excellent Communication

Song Inspiration

"I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist, like it doesn't exist

I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry

…

And i'm holding on for dear life…"

Chandelier by Sia

* * *

><p>Chapter 27 - Excellent Communication Skills<p>

Reina and Hani walked back to the auditorium in silence. They each carried a basket full of pine cones, acorns, and leaves.

"Toya…" she whispered.

"Yeah," Hani breathed.

They arrived at the auditorium. All of their classmates oblivious to their thoughts and feelings.

"Reina! We're going through our final run through of the script. Come this way." Chiyo grabbed her forearm and dragged her away from Hani.

Reina settled down in the empty seat next to Mori in the back row of the auditorium. The other chosen actors were already seated.

The double doors to the auditorium burst open. A frazzled Toya scanned the room, searching.

"Toya?" Reina's voice sounded shrill. She wasn't expecting to see her best friend so soon.

"Reina!" He ran to her. He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her out of her seat. "I need to talk to you."

"We're busy here Toya," Chiyo said, although a little starstruck.

"You guys go on ahead," Reina let Toya pull her away. They stopped near the double doors, still in viewing sight, but out of earshot.

"What is it?" Reina asked, although deep down, she knew what he was going to say.

"I kissed him," Toya rushed. He hid his face with his hands. "I couldn't help myself. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I had to tell him. You have no idea how much it hurts to see Raiden going after him. And for so long. God," Toya groaned.

"Toya-"

"He's going to hate me," he continued. "After you told me what happened, I thought this would be the perfect chance, but I ruined it."

Reina threw herself into his arms. He immediately latched on to her. "Toya, it's going to be fine. You'll see."

"How do you know?"

He felt warm against her. She moved her face so that she looked directly into his eye. "Because I'm always right."

* * *

><p>A chair knocked into Raiden's desk, causing him to jump in his seat.<p>

"Sorry," Kaoru mumbled.

Raiden hadn't realized Kaoru was standing before him. His face began to heat up. "It's fine."

His face grew more red. Goodness, could he tell he had his first kiss? Was it obvious?

Kaoru sat down in his backward facing chair.

They were the only ones left in the classroom. Raiden had stayed after class to work on some homework. He hadn't realized Kaoru had walked back in.

"I owe you an explanation," Kaoru said.

Raiden's heart thumped against his chest. "An explanation for what?"

"For everything," Kaoru said with a shrug. "Hikaru. Haruhi. You should know what was happening."

Kaoru's eyes landed on his notebook. Math problems were sprawled all across the paper. "Sure."

Kaoru rested an elbow on Raiden's desk. "I like Haruhi," he confessed.

The words made Raiden's heart lurch.

"Hikaru likes her too," he continued. "I couldn't go on knowing I liked her and he liked her. I asked her out on a date, sort of."

The amusement park, Raiden quickly thought.

"There I realized one, Haruhi doesn't feel the same way, and two, I didn't feel any chemistry." Kaoru sighed. "I guess it was just an attraction."

"Just an attraction?"

"Yeah." Their eyes finally met. "It's one thing to feel attracted to someone, but chemistry goes a long way as well. Things just didn't seem to click with Haruhi."

"How do you know if you have chemistry with someone?" Raiden asked.

Kaoru groaned. "I don't know. I thought I liked Haruhi. I mean I do. I have a soft spot for her, but I didn't _feel _it in my bones. Or I didn't feel it in my heart. I think you can definitely feel it. Chemistry that is."

Raiden felt himself sigh. "Have you ever felt chemistry with someone else?"

Kaoru shook his head. "No. But I think I know what it looks like."

"You know what it looks like?" Raiden was intrigued.

"I know they're not interested in each other or anything," Kaoru scooted closer to Raiden's desk, "but you can tell Kyouya-senpai and Rei-senpai have chemistry."

"What?"

"Yeah. It's weird. I don't think they've realized it either, but you can tell how comfortable they are with each other. They have a lot of things in common. I guess that helps."

Raiden remained silent.

"They have this silent way of communicating too. It's freaky."

Kaoru's attention moved to the window, causing Raiden to think about himself and about Toya.

He still blushed at the kiss. He couldn't think logically around it. He didn't see it coming, but at the same time he wouldn't deny not liking it. It startled him. He'd never kissed someone before.

He felt light and the usual butterfly in stomach feeling he got when he was around Kaoru was also attached to Toya, but he didn't know when that first started.

Toya made him nervous, but he was also comfortable with him the most. He wasn't worried about saying the wrong thing. Most importantly, Toya hardly annoyed him. When he did, it wasn't because _he _was annoying per se, it was because Toya did things he personally liked, which annoyed him.

Was there chemistry between Toya and himself?

Raiden decided to take the plunge. "Do you...do you think Toya and I have chemistry?"

A small grin found it's way to Kaoru's lips. "I think you two have chemistry. I also think you two are compatible. But that's just me talking. You have to feel it. For yourself." Kaoru stood up from his seat. "I'll see you around."

Raiden felt him go. "Thank you."

"Sure." Kaoru walked out the room.

For the first time in a long time, Raiden didn't feel any remnants of regret.

* * *

><p>One week into play rehearsals and Reina knew she wasn't cut out for it.<p>

Adrien hovered over her constantly, trying to figure out the correct measurements, changing and realigning her wardrobe.

Nekozawa, who was cast as the villain, seemed at home with the part.

Hani braved his lines and executed them like a pro, playing Reina's character's sort of godmother and protector.

The only ones who were awkward were the stars of the play - Reina and Mori - playing the princess and prince respectively.

"Why couldn't it be easier if we performed a simpler play?" Reina groaned.

She hissed. Adrien had just poked her with a pin. None of the costumes were final, but he worked like a busy bee nonetheless.

"Where's the drama?" Chiyo exclaimed. "The passion! It needs to be interesting and worth watching. It's for the cultural fair. That's why we reworked the script a little bit." Chiyo handed her a new packet.

"What?"

"We just added a new scene. It's no big deal. Let's get started."

"We gotta figure out how to do your hair and makeup too," Adrien whispered. She smiled at his antics.

They spent the next two hours going through the many scenes of the play. In essence, the new born child of the king and queen is cursed by a fairy because she wasn't invited to the baby's birthday party. On her eighteenth birthday, if the princess is in the kingdom, everyone will fall into a death-like sleep. So, the king and queen send their daughter away.

Reina didn't quite understand the play, but the girls and boys who wrote it were determined to write a romance and action packed play.

She didn't get where the prince came in or why the princess was being chased. What she did know was she spent a good time of the play laying on her back or running around.

"On to the next scene!" Chiyo announced. "Reina. Mori-kun. This is the new scene we've worked in. Let's have a run through."

Reina flipped to the correct page and skimmed it, her cheeks heating up immediately. "Wait, what?"

Mori shifted from foot to foot.

"This is a kissing scene," Reina said, almost darkly. She used her hair to hide from Mori's view. "Chiyo," she growled. "Why is there a kissing scene?"

"We thought it would make the characters more endearing. Make the fight worth it!"

Reina gulped.

"We have to practice it, you know," Chiyo announced.

Reina looked toward Mori. He was standing before her, his stance stiff, but his gaze on her face unwavering.

"I don't think I can practice," Reina whispered.

"You know," Adrien suddenly announced. "I'm pretty tired. Maybe we should call it a day. We've been here almost three hours."

Adrien and Reina exchanged looks. He smiled at her look of pure relief.

"Oh, you're right! We're done for today everyone!" Chiyo clapped her hands together, signalling to the others to clean up and head home.

"You okay, Rei-chan?" Reina found Hani by her side.

She nodded.

"Takashi, I need to go to the classroom and then the library. I'll meet you at the car," Hani told his cousin and skipped away before he could protest.

Before they knew it, Reina and Mori were the only ones left on the stage. The silence overwhelmed them.

"Do you, do you really think we should practice?" Reina fidgeted.

Mori stood before her. Both of them were still in costume. Neither had moved from their positions on stage.

She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm totally okay with just winging it. I might faint, but I don't mind."

Mori sat down on a plush bench, which currently acted as class 3-A's makeshift bed.

"We should practice," he said.

She gaped. "Really? Are you sure?"

Mori didn't nod or shake his head for a few minutes.

Reina took tentative steps toward him before sitting down next to him on the bench.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, her gaze concentrated on his eyes. His eyes were dark and focused. She inched closer, knocking her knee into his.

"Yes," he breathed. His breath tickled her forehead.

She opened and closed her mouth, trying to get the words out, but what words? She couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to stop this from happening or hoping it would.

She placed on leg over the bench and moved closer, straddling the bench. She leaned forward, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"I-" she pulled herself closer. She trailed her fingers over his shoulders, reaching for his neck and gasped. His skin felt hot underneath her fingertips. Her hand hovered over his pulse. It felt like she was holding a hummingbird in her hands, keeping it from escaping.

Mori's half-lidded gaze was fixed on her lips, his own, slightly parted.

Her fingers traced his jaw, pulling him closer.

"Mori-" Their lips touched briefly. She could feel his sharp intake of breath. As if it worked to pull her closer, she closed the distance between them.

It was tentative at first. His body seemed to buzz underneath her.

She opened her eyes briefly. His were closed tightly and his eyebrows furrowed together.

She felt his hand trace her hip bone, causing a shudder to run up and down her spine. His other hand found it's way to her waist. His fingers tightening around her, scrunching up her dress.

She wound her fingers into his hair, deepening and sliding her lips even closer.

She couldn't believe this was happening and it was Mori. _Mori_. She didn't know how many times she dreamt of this moment, but it was way better than anything she could have ever imagined.

And way hotter.

He pulled her closer. She placed her hands back on his jaw and she could feel a subtle hint of stubble along his jawline. She let out a small moan.

This took her by surprise and gasped, leaning away from Mori. She found herself straddling his leg, and his hands wrapped around her waist and tangled within her costume.

"Morinozuka-kun?"

His eyes remained on her lips.

She dropped her hands down to his shoulders and used him to push herself away. She took a hesitant step off the bench and took a few steps back.

He seemed to be out of his haze and stood up immediately, his eyes concentrated on her.

Her breaths came out in rapid succession. "I should go," she whispered. "That's enough practice for today."

She spun around and ran for the door.

* * *

><p>The rest of the month flew by without a hitch, but with the perfect pinch of awkwardness. Mori and Reina both were able to nail their lines and perform for their classmates during rehearsals and promised them they would be able to do the kiss for the play, but never during rehearsal. No one knew about their "practice" kiss.<p>

Raiden and class 1A were able to finish their class activity and were currently placing the finishing touches.

Raiden was satisfied with their work and especially with the destination of their hunt. He couldn't wait to hear what people thought of it.

Toya was constantly on his mind. He wasn't sure if the kiss made him hyper aware of Toya. He couldn't quite figure out if he liked him before the kiss or if he liked him because of the kiss.

Raiden sat in the cafeteria, stirring his soup.

Reina plopped down in the seat in front of him. Kyouya sat down in the seat beside her. Raiden immediately eyed the two of them.

"Nee-chan?"

"Yeah?" Reina took a bite of her lunch.

"How do you know if you like someone?"

She choked.

Kyouya looked between the siblings briefly.

"Well, there's a difference between a liking someone as a friend and liking them as more than a friend."

"How can you tell?"

"If they have annoying habits and you can tolerate it. You wonder how they're doing or how their day went. You want them to achieve their goals. Most important probably is you can imagine a future with them. There are a few other things. I think those are the most important though."

Raiden and Kyouya both stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" She shrugged. "I've thought about this a lot."

Raiden looked down at his food. Could he imagine a future with either Toya or Kaoru. For one, Toya has shown his interest in him. Kaoru doesn't even see him as more than a friend.

Why did he like Kaoru to begin with? He always thought the twins were cool in middle school. They always seemed so popular even though they didn't socialize with other people much. They were in their own little world and he just wanted a piece of it.

He looked between Kyouya and his sister. "Do you two like each other?" he blurted.

She glanced at him, stunned. "What?"

Kyouya dropped his fork.

Reina took a quick glance of Kyouya. "No. He's handsome and all, but I don't see him as more than a friend. I haven't even imagined kissing him or anything." She paused. "Damnit. Oh my god, I just did. There's not going back now!" She squealed.

Kyouya smirked.

Raiden smiled. He never imagined kissing Kaoru either. What the heck did he feel for him?

* * *

><p>When the day of the cultural festival arrived, Ouran Academy and it's students were running around like ants, putting on the finishing touches and waiting for their parents and public to arrive.<p>

Class 3A hung up posters advertising for their play and then separated, hoping to see the other events happening that day. They wouldn't be performing until that evening.

Reina, Hani, and Mori arrived at class 2A. Reina's breath caught in her throat.

"Welcome," Kyouya greeted, "to Cafe Belle. Would you like to take a seat and order?"

Reina couldn't help grinning. Class 2A had commandeered their classroom and turned it into a Parisian cafe, even taking the hallway and turning it into a Paris theme.

They let Kyouya place them at a round table near the window. He was dressed as a french butler.

Kyouya stood next to them. Tamaki had taken his place by the door.

"Kyouya, stop. You're making me blush."

"I'm just doing my job." He smirked. His outfit looking well placed on his body.

"I'd like cake and coffee please." Reina told him.

"Me too!" Hani bounced in his seat.

"Coffee," said Mori.

Kyouya nodded and then walked away.

"This is too cute." Reina fingered the china resting on the table. "We should go to class 1A's activity after this."

"I agree! I can't wait to see what they did," Hani concurred.

"What is the club doing for today?" Reina asked.

"We have the central salon again. This time we'll be dressing up like knights. We'll have horses outside for people to ride and stuff."

"Oh cool."

"Reina." Kyouya returned with their drinks and food. "Be sure to come by the central salon. I wouldn't want you to miss it."

Reina giggled. "I wouldn't want to miss it either."

Her gaze moved from Kyouya and briefly landed on Mori, who was staring straight at her. She gasped and looked down at her cake.

###

"Reina!" Toya waved his arm above him, catching her attention. She ran toward him. Hani and Mori jogged after her.

"We're in a middle of a scavenger hunt. Do you want to join us?"

Toya shrugged. "Sure. Is this for," he gulped, "Raiden's class?"

She nodded.

"Alright, we're doing the final riddle." Reina took out a piece of paper and began to read aloud. "Betwixt North and South, in Which the Sun Sets, Rests the Source of All Creation, Beneath a Sea, and Wrapped in a Cold Embrace."

"That sounds strangely poetic," Toya announced.

"North and South?" Hani sounded.

"Sun sets...it's in the west," Mori said.

"Right! Reina exclaimed, she aimed a smile in his direction, but quickly looked away.

"Beneath a sea? Wrapped in a cold embrace?" Toya questioned. He gasped.

"What is it?"

"It can't be," Toya muttered.

"What is it?" Reina repeated.

"The west gym," Toya breathed. He turned around and sprinted to the gym.

"Wait!" Reina called after him. She and the boys ran after him.

Toya skidded to a stop next to a set of double doors. Tentatively, he opened the door.

Once inside, he found the finished project by his class. The west gym had been turned into a giant planetarium. Large scales of planets hung from the rafters. Spinning nebulas littered the walls and all around him little lights hung and twinkled.

Toya heard Reina gasp behind him. "It's beautiful."

Reina, Hani, and Mori began to walk around the gym, making sure not to bump into the large crowd already present.

"Cool, huh?"

Toya spun around. Raiden was standing before him, grinning.

"I thought it'd be a nice twist," he continued, "to lead people here for the scavenger hunt. You and your class did a great job."

"Raiden-"

"I've been thinking," Raiden interrupted. He took a look around, noting where his sister was. There was considerable distance between her and Mori. "I don't want to set my hopes high for someone I can't have."

Toya gulped.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"When you said if you can't confess it's because you're not ready for what the other person will say." Raiden took a step closer. "When it came to me and Kaoru, my feelings for him were misplaced. I really wanted a friend so when he started to get interested in me I thought I was falling in love. I know better now."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not good at this," Raiden continued. "I don't know the first thing when it comes to relationships, but I'm ready to give it a try. That's if you want to." Raiden scuffed the floor with his feet.

"What?" Toya was breathless.

"I want to give it a try. With you."

Toya's eyes widened. He let out a shaky breath. He placed a hand on Raiden's cheek and guided him to his lips.

Reina squealed next to them, causing the boys to jump away. "My two favorite people are finally together. I work well, don't you think?" She winked at them.

"What?" Raiden and Toya both yelled.

"Let's celebrate!"

"You have to get ready for your play," Raiden announced.

Reina groaned.

###

Raiden settled down in the seat next to Toya. Kaoru and Hikaru scurried after him, towing Haruhi along. Tamaki and Kyouya followed them.

"I can't wait to see how they did," Hikaru jumped in his seat.

The group found the perfect seats in the middle of the auditorium.

"Can you believe Reina and Mori are the princess and prince. Do you think their class ships them together as well?" Kaoru giggled over the play's program.

Toya and Raiden shared a program.

"They do look pretty dramatic," Toya noted.

Mori was pictured aiming a sword toward a villainous Nekozawa. Reina and Hani were pictured in the corner, Reina looking over her shoulder fearfully.

"My dad and brother are going to be here," Raiden said, looking around. The auditorium was filling up quickly with students and parents alike.

"Raiden-senpai!" Satoshi bolted down the aisle toward them. Yasuchika following behind him. Satoshi dropped down in the seat next to Toya. "We came to see my brother's play. I'm so glad they planned it for late afternoon. We would've missed it if it was earlier in the day."

"Whatever," Yasuchika grumbled in his seat.

Soon enough the rest of the seats filled up and the lights dimmed.

The narrators for the play took the stage. "Once upon a time…"

Raiden was slightly weirded out by the story. He could feel Toya chuckle beside him and he noticed Satoshi's rapt attention.

His sister was the princess to an ancient kingdom who sent her away after being cursed on her birthday. Hani's character raised her.

"I thought they'd be more awkward on stage," Hikaru whispered.

"Their costumes are amazing," Toya muttered into Raiden's ear.

Raiden felt Toya rest his hand above his own, clasping their fingers together.

"You make it sound like I can't defend myself!" Reina announced, her voice echoing through the auditorium. "You don't give me a chance to do that. I've lived my whole life having people protect me, but not once did they ask if I wanted _their _protection."

The character's words were moving. Raiden thought they all sounded convincing.

A gasp escaped him. The arrow to the chest surprised him. He heard other people's gasps reverberate in the auditorium. The princess had been fatally wounded.

Kaoru even held a hand to his mouth.

The prince caught the princess in his arms.

"My lord," Reina breathed. "You'll find what you're looking for past the dark forest, in the celestial meadows."

"That's not important," Mori's voice sounded rushed and pained.

"Oh my god," Toya began to bite at his nails.

Reina's hand trailed up Mori's torso and cupped his cheek.

Raiden suddenly felt the atmosphere shift around him. The audience was so invested in the story and in the characters. He heard some girls behind him crying.

"Live out your dream," Reina told him.

Mori leaned his forehead against hers. "You are my dream."

The next thing they did caused loud gasps and squeals to resonate around the auditorium.

Reina and Mori kissed.

Raiden felt himself gasp as well.

"Damn, this is better than a movie," Toya mumbled.

When they broke apart, Reina said her final words. "Don't waste it." And her character died, leaving the Prince alone to defeat the villain and to inherit a kingdom.

The curtain closed. The crowd clapped loudly. Girls squealed and whistled.

"Wow," Kaoru said loudly. "I can't believe they did that!"

"We saw the same thing, right?" Hikaru jumped out of his seat. "They kissed!"

"That was amazing!" Satoshi was in tears. "Taka-nii was amazing. Rei-senpai was amazing. They were beautiful together!"

The group immediately filed out of the auditorium and walked toward the lobby in the special section for the actors and their parents and closest friends.

Reina and Mori were already standing, strangely, they were standing as far away as possible to each other. Reina was fanning herself and muttering, "this took too much out of me."

"Reina!" Adrien ran toward her, crashing her into his arms. "You were amazing. You looked beautiful. Look at you!" He twirled her around. "You look great in my dress. I can just kiss you."

Reina laughed lightly. "Funny, very funny…"

"I can just kiss you," Adrien mouthed.

Raiden and the others arrived.

"Adrien…"

Adrien slammed his lips against hers. He quickly wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her closer.

"Hey!" Raiden ran toward them and broke them apart.

"Whoa," Reina whispered. She gripped her face. "That escalated quickly. Everything is happening so fast!"

"Reina!" Another voice cooed.

Reina and Raiden both turned around and found their father and brother standing next to Kyouya. A wide grin plastered on their father's face.

Reina squealed and ran into this open arms. "Tou-san!"

"Oh, my favorite daughter. You were wonderful and you looked beautiful." Kenzou Moriyama settled his daughter back on her feet. "You did such a great job."

"Really?"

"Definitely," this time Akihiko spoke.

"Aki…"

Akihiko opened his arms and Reina immediately ran into his chest. He murmured into her ear, to silent for the others to hear.

"Raiden." His father wrapped a strong arm around his shoulders. "I can't believe you didn't save us a seat."

"Tou-san," Raiden groaned.

"Good evening, Moriyama-san." Toya greeted and bowed.

"Oh, Toya-kun. You're always so formal. How've you been?"

Toya's eyes quickly flicked over to Raiden. "Very well, sir."

"Congratulations," Kyouya finally says, eyeing Reina and Mori and Hani, who had just arrived. "You all did very well."

"Yeah, oh my gosh, I almost cried," Hikaru admitted.

"It was so good!" Kaoru agreed.

A slow clapping noise interrupted them.

Everyone turned around. Reina and her father were startled by the sudden arrival.

"Father," Kenzou announced, confused.

"Grandfather." Reina moved out of her brother's arms and stood before him, bowing. "I wasn't aware you'd be in the audience tonight. Thank you for coming."

"Of course, I'd be here. I wanted to see how well you were doing here here at Ouran. I see you're doing very well," Atsushi Moriyama eyed Adrien and Mori behind her.

Reina noticed her uncle, Ichiro, fidgeting behind him.

"Grandfather?"

"I see you've met Adrien Hollands. I've wondered if you've two have gotten close. Maybe too close."

"We're," Reina looked between Adrien and her grandfather. Adrien looked confused. "Friends. We're just friends."

"How is your father, Mr. Hollands?"

Adrien stammered, trying to find his voice. "He's fine, sir. Thank you for asking."

"Grandfather?" Reina moved closer.

"Is your father present this evening?" The Moriyama patriarch continued to ignore Reina.

Adrien shook his head. "No, he isn't sir."

"I see. That's too bad. I'll have to call him then. I've come a decision."

"Grandfather?"

"Father?" Ichiro voiced this time.

Atsushi turned to face his granddaughter. "You've done well this year. I commend you for it, but I no longer need you."

"What?"

"Father?"

"Terra Lux optioned for the company earlier this year. I wanted to wait to make a decision. Thanks to you, Yama Group was able to cap off on the year making a ten percent increase in profit. I'll be able to sell the company without losing much."

"You're selling the company?" Reina squeaked. She whipped around and faced Adrien. "Did you know?"

He held his hands up in defense and shook his head. "No! I didn't know they were in the works of buying. My father just told me he'd be working closely with a Japanese company. Nothing like this…"

"Father?" Ichiro's voice boomed. "You haven't spoken of this to the board."

"I don't need the board to make this decision." Atsushi turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"No!" Reina yelled after him, startling everyone. He stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around.

"No," she cried. "We had a deal! It's been a whole year. You can't just back away from it."

Atsushi turned around, his eyes narrow.

Reina's shoulders drooped. "You were never going to do it were you?" Tears began to pool in the corner of her eyes. "You tricked me."

Atsushi chuckled and began to walk back toward his granddaughter. Although she stood much taller than him, he gave off an air of superiority. "You really think I was going to let you control me with your petty requests. This was never about you or _your _family. This was about the company."

"You promised," her voice was barely above a whisper.

Atsushi gripped her sleeve and pulled her toward him, a loud ripping noise interrupted the silence.

"I was never going to let that boy receive my name. I was never going to let your father return to the family and I was definitely never going to let your brother be reinstated as heir. As for you," Atsushi pushed her away.

Her dress hung off her shoulder. Tears were pouring down her face.

"I was never going to let you work for the company. I was never going to let you inherit anything. You'd accomplish nothing under my tutelage. It would have been a waste," he spat.

"Father," Ichiro's voice rang out. "Please, don't do this."

"Quiet, Ichiro," he barked. He began to walk away from the crowd. "Let's see who we'll meet tonight."

Ichiro followed after him.

Silence enveloped them.

"Nee-chan?" Raiden stepped forward.

Kyouya wrapped his blazer around her shoulders and torso, covering her bare back and shoulder. "Let's go," he whispered into her ear.

She let him drag her away from the others. The only thing they heard was her sobbing.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> Thanks for reading! Extra long chapter here. I hope you enjoyed it :D

Second of the two updates for today. OMG what did you think? Again, I apologize if it seemed so rushed. What did you think? Lots of development in this chapter.

Next week is the last update. I can't believe it's almost over. Thanks for tagging along everyone :D


	28. Chapter 28 - Final Step: Moving On

Song Inspiration

"Cause it's you and me against the world now"

- You & Me (feat. W. Darling) by Bassnectar

* * *

><p>Chapter 28 - Final Step: Moving On<p>

The porcelain cup clinked against the round plate on the table.

Reina rested against one of the love seats situated in the club room of the host club. Kyouya sat beside her, silent.

Tears continued to stream down her face. "I should have known," her voice wavered. "I'm such an idiot."

"You're not." Kyouya eyed her. The room was dark and the only light coming in was from the open window, letting moonlight stream inside. She was still wearing his blazer. He suddenly thought she looked very small. "You would never had seen that coming."

"I should have known. Maybe this was too good to be true. He was always so...vindictive."

Reina's hand was laying on the couch. Kyouya instinctively laced his fingers through her own.

"He's at fault here." He tugged on her hand. "He's making a grave mistake and he'll regret it for the rest of his life."

Her tears stopped. "Kyouya, you're really horrible at making people feel better."

He knew she was still upset, but he could hear the humor in her voice.

"Thank you." He was suddenly pushed back into the couch.

Reina wrapped her arms around his neck, placing him into a hug.

He wrapped his arms around her torso, looking out the window over her shoulder. "You're far greater than this," he whispered into her shoulder.

She nodded.

The doors to the host club opened. Raiden and Akihiko lingered in the doorway. The host club stood just outside.

Reina and Kyouya unwrapped themselves from each other and stood up.

"Nee-chan?"

Akihiko pushed past Raiden and ran to his sister. He wrapped his arms around her torso and buried his head into her hair. "You're too good for us."

Reina's fingers gripped his dress shirt.

"I love you, so much. Don't forget that," he continued. "I'll love you till the end of time, but please don't do something this stupid again."

She let out a strangled laugh. "I just wanted to try."

"Never again." Akihiko squished her cheeks.

Kyouya stepped around the sofa and began to walk to the door, stopping next to Raiden.

"Is she okay?" Raiden asked.

Kyouya shrugged. "See for yourself."

Raiden ran toward his sister and brother. He stopped a few steps away. Reina moved against her brother's chest to look Raiden in the eye. A fresh set of tears were rolling down her cheeks. She stretched her hand out, beckoning him toward them.

He smiled slightly and grabbed it, letting her pull him in.

"Our family kind of sucks doesn't it?" Reina murmured.

Akihiko's head popped up, hovering over both of them. He rested an arm around Reina's shoulders and rested a hand on Raiden's. "We're just..._different_. _Our_ family is perfect. "

* * *

><p>Three Months Later - End of February Early March

"Why is everyone crying? You're going to make me cry!" Reina threw her arms into the air and yelled.

Raiden chuckled beside her. "I have no idea, but it's sort of endearing."

"Rei-senpai!" Tamaki dropped his arms around her shoulders and clung to her, dragging her to the floor. "I'm going to miss you! Don't leave!"

"What?" she tried to push him off. "Tamaki-kun, you're smothering me."

Kyouya stepped over his best friend and took a firm hold of Reina's hand, helping her up.

She brushed offer her dress. "What is his problem?"

"Graduation. Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai are graduating. And you," Kyouya motioned with his chin. "You're graduating as well."

Reina couldn't help grinning. "I am, aren't I? I'm so excited."

"Rei-senpai!" Tamaki pulled her into another embrace.

"Haruhi, you don't need to bring anymore towels," Kyouya commented, stopping the first year in her tracks.

They gazed around the room, spotting the generous amount of groups crying over their graduating hosts.

"Shouldn't they be busy making preparations to attend the attached university?" Haruhi asked.

"_My_ sister was really busy these last few months, taking entrance exams and working for Hitachiin-san," said Raiden.

"Entrance exams?" Kyouya's interest piqued.

Raiden laughed at Tamaki's antics. Reina was finally able to wiggle herself out of his grip and she jogged back to where her brother, Kyouya, and Haruhi stood. She smiled at her brother and rolled her eyes.

Hikaru slouched over Reina's shoulders. "There's no reason to worry or cry," he said, "most of the people here are attending the same university anyway."

Kyouya gave a sideways glance at Reina.

"Mori-senpai looks pretty down," Haruhi observed.

"He's received a flood of challenge letters from his kohai," Kyouya explained.

"Haninozuka, Morinozuka," Nekozawa descended upon them, "what faculty will you be attending? I've chosen the literature faculty."

Hani fidgeted in his seat. "I'm choosing science and technology. This way I can make cars and toys and create a new project for the Haninozuka group."

Haruhi blanched.

"Toys?" Raiden questioned under his breath.

"How cute," Reina cooed. Raiden nudged his sister in the ribs.

"Then Mori-senpai is doing the same thing…?" Kaoru said.

"Yeah, otherwise they'd break up their combo," Hikaru added.

"No," Mori spoke, "I choose law."

"What?" Kaoru and Hikaru said at once. "Really?"

"It's true!" Hani piped in. "From March onward, Takashi and I will be attending different faculties."

Tamaki's eyes widened. He rushed over to Reina and gripped her by the shoulders. "Please reassure me! Not everything is falling to pieces."

"What?"

"What faculty will you be attending? Business? Arts?"

Reina tried not to smile. "I'm surprised you thought I'd be attending the attached university."

"What?" Tamaki, the twins, and Haruhi yelled.

Tamaki dropped his arms to his side. "You won't be attending Ouran University?"

"Nope." She shook her head. "Starting in April I'll be attending the University of Tokyo."

"What?!"

* * *

><p>"Morinozuka-kun challenged Haninozuka-kun to a duel?" Reina munched over her caesar salad.<p>

She sat in the cafeteria with her brother, Toya, and Haruhi, relishing over the fact that this was one of the last times she'd be eating there as a student.

Haruhi nodded. "I don't get them."

"They don't need to be understood by us, Haruhi. They just need to understand each other," Reina reasoned.

Haruhi shrugged.

Raiden's knee suddenly jerked under the table, hitting the table top.

Reina glared in his direction and then stared pointedly at Toya, who, conveniently, was sitting next to him. She pointed her fork at him, going between him and Raiden. "Keep your hands to yourself. We're at school."

Toya shrugged, a smile threatening to cross his face. "I can't help myself."

Raiden blushed beside him.

Reina rolled her eyes at them, but smiled nonetheless.

"I can't believe you're not going to the attached university," Haruhi said.

"Really?"

"I suppose I didn't realize you had your goals set on something else. I just assumed everyone attended the attached university," Haruhi said with a shrug.

"That makes sense, but I'd hate to limit myself like that." Reina bit into her salad. "I wanted to take a shot and I'm glad I did."

"I'm not going to the attached university either," Toya announced.

"Really?"

Raiden shifted in his seat.

Toya nodded. "Yup. I'll be attending Kyoto University."

"Wow," Haruhi mouthed.

"Yeah, Haruhi, it's a good idea to consider all of your options and not just settle for the ones right in front of you. You have to take chances."

Haruhi nodded.

Raiden found himself nodding as well.

* * *

><p>The day before graduation, a large portion of the school was gathered on a small windy hill. The broadcasting club and newspaper club were present. Their classmates and many customers from the host club gathered around.<p>

Reina settled in between Kyouya and her brother. Toya stood beside him.

"Here goes," she whispered to herself.

The match begun and both competitors raced at each other, throwing kicks and punches.

Next came out long batons. They hit each other a few times. Hani then threw out a set of bunny shaped shuriken, hitting Mori's baton.

Hani threw Mori over him and he skidded across the floor.

"This is the end Takashi!"

Mori waited for his cousin to get closer, once Hani flung himself into the air, Mori grabbed him by the waist and expertly placed him out of bounds. "It's over Mitsukuni."

"Huh?"

Hani lost the duel.

Mori reached into his sleeve and unraveled a long sheet of paper. "First, you can't forget to brush your teeth. Second, avoid future health problems by reducing the amount of cake you eat. Third, Mitsukuni you're eighteen now. You cannot bring Usa-chan to university with you."

Reina gasped slightly, holding a hand against her mouth. "Oh my goodness."

"He made a list of requests," Raiden looked on in disbelief. "That's very _Mori_."

Reina giggled. "Yeah. Sounds like something Morinozuka-kun would do."

"No!" Hani yelled.

"You can't bring it with you," Mori demanded.

"I'll take it once every three days…" Hani reasoned.

"Good."

"Kyo-chan!" Hani raced over to the glasses wearing host. "Was this useful for you?"

"Ah? Well, thanks to you we gathered quite a bit of money."

Reina looked between Kyouya and Hani.

Hani looked over to Raiden and the other first years. "Did you all get excited?"

Kaoru scratched his cheek. "Eh? Yeah, I guess. Tono even made a wish on a star, he was so worried about you two."

"Really?" Hani giggled. He looked around at the still large crowd. "It looks like everyone else got excited too."

"You mean, you set this all up?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked.

"No, the duel was real. I knew Takashi wanted to tell me something and I didn't want to lose."

"What?!"

Hani offered them a smile. "We've known for a long time that we'd have to go our own ways sooner or later. There's nothing to worry about now."

Reina could feel tears gathering up around her eyes. She wrapped an arm around her brother's.

"But," Hani continued. "We didn't think we'd have so much fun these three years of high school. Joining the host club, and eating sweets with all of you, and doing so many amusing things. We had a great time. Thank you. We're happy we were able to entertain you at the end."

"Hani-senpai!" Tamaki ran to the third year, tears running down his face.

"Mori-senpai!" Hikaru and Kaoru rushed over to the gentle giant, tears streaming down their face as well. He patted them on the shoulders and head.

Raiden suddenly felt his sister's grip on him change. Reina wrapped her arms around her brothers neck and buried her head into his shoulder.

"Nee-chan?"

He suddenly felt wetness trickling down his neck.

While the host club cried over themselves and yelled out thank yous. Reina held onto her brother, Raiden keeping her silent tears a secret.

* * *

><p>Graduation Ceremony and Party<p>

"I'm pretty sure if I have any kids, I'd name them after anime characters," Reina contemplated.

Renge giggled beside her. "I wouldn't be surprised. You look beautiful by the way." Renge waved her hand over Reina's dress.

The navy blue rested closely over her skin. It was one shoulder and created a ripple effect around her waist, ending at the hem, just above her knees. Reina let her now waist length hair cascade over her shoulders and back in slight waves.

"Thank you, Renge-kun."

Renge's attention moved to something behind Reina. "I'll let you go now."

"Bye! Oh, Renge-kun, please stay in touch!" Reina yelled after her.

Renge waved behind her.

A strong hand wrapped around Reina's elbow.

She whipped around and found Mori staring intently at her.

"Morinozuka-kun?"

"Kasanoda was looking for you."

"Kasanoda-kun?"

Kasanoda stepped out from behind Mori. "Uh, Rei-senpai, these are for you!" He pushed a bouquet of spring flowers in her direction.

Her expression immediately brightened. "Really?" she took them into her arms.

He nodded, scratching the back of his head.

"Thank you, Kasanoda-kun. They're beautiful."

He bowed. "You're welcome, senpai!" He bowed in Mori's direction and then scurried away.

"Can we talk?" Mori asked, his voice low.

She blushed at the sound, but nodded. "Sure."

###

"Look at these lovely fools," Toya grinned at the crowd. They weren't standing that far from the host club so he wasn't surprised by Kyouya's slight glare. He shrugged.

"I'm going to miss this place," he said with a sigh.

"Really?" Raiden asked, leaning closer toward him.

"I spent my whole life at Ouran. Wow, that sounds weird when you say it out loud."

"I, I'm going to miss you," Raiden stammered, blushing at his words.

Toya smiled at his sincerity. He moved in front of him, obstructing his view from the rest of the room.

"Raiden, are you worried about something?"

Toya's cologne overwhelmed him with a familiar scent. He couldn't help wanting to cry, knowing he wouldn't be smelling it on a daily basis.

Over the last three months, they'd grown closer. It was safe to assume they were in a relationship now. Although, the label did make him nervous at times.

"What if," Raiden hesitated. He didn't want to sound silly, but he needed to get it off his chest. "What if you find someone else?"

Toya pressed his forehead against his. "What if I do?"

Raiden groaned.

"If I do, I do, but I'm not going to want or need them, because I have you."

"But, what if-"

"Raiden, I'd move mountains for you. Don't think a new person will distract me from you. I want _you_."

The tension in his shoulders dissipated.

"No more moping right? Or you're going to make me cry."

Raiden shook his head.

"Good." Toya grazed his lips over Raiden's, pressing hard. "I don't want to cry on my graduation day."

Raiden smiled.

###

"My brothers have informed me that my communication skills are lacking," Reina told Mori. She settled down on a bench over looking the garden.

Mori had led her away from the party for a few private words.

"They thought I should have told them what I was doing." She sighed, "but, I didn't want to tell them."

He sat down beside her. "Why not?"

"What if I failed? I did anyway. If my grandfather wasn't there I could have swept it under the rug. Raiden and Akihiko wouldn't have had to know."

"They would've wanted to know."

"I know." She pinched a flower petal.

Their thighs were plastered together.

"I know I should have said something after, after we," she trailed away.

"After we kissed?" Mori finished for her.

She blushed. "Yeah. At rehearsal and the play. I'm sorry."

"Did it mean anything to you?"

She bit her lip. "It meant everything."

He turned to face her.

"Morinozuka-kun, you know I can't, I can't." Tears threatened to spill. "I'm no good for you."

"Why do you think that?"

"I'm just going to hold you back," she admitted. She stood up from her seat, placing her flowers on the bench, and wrapped her arms around herself. "You need someone who'll stand by your side. I'm too flaky and I have too many things on my mind and I- I'm no good for you."

He stood as well, his gaze boring into hers. "You're set on the University of Tokyo?" he suddenly asked.

She looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "Yes," her voice broke. "That's where my goals are leading me."

He nodded. He reached his arm out. "Good luck and congratulations."

His pained expression broke whatever lever that was keeping her tears at bay. She let them run freely down her cheeks. She reached her arm out and gripped his hand.

They shook hands.

"You too."

He nodded. He turned around and began walking away.

"Takashi?"

He stopped in his tracks.

She walked toward him, her heels creating loud knocking noises across the floor. He turned around once he felt her presence behind him.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. She trailed her fingers over his torso, relishing the feel of his well pressed suit. She gripped his collar and pulled him toward her. "Hate me if you have to," she whispered against his lips.

He let her pull him closer, letting their lips meet. Her hands moved up to his jaw, pulling him closer and making sure he didn't pull away.

He let his hands land on her waist, grasping her tightly.

It could be they were making up for lost time or maybe making up for time they'll never have.

Reina and Mori hung on to each other, not worried about anyone who might happen to enter the garden. Not worried about the amount of time they were gone and definitely not worried that their missing presence was probably already noted.

Her breath came out fast. There was nothing sweet and tentative about the kiss, nothing, but heat and a desperate need.

He tangled a hand through her hair, yanking her closer.

She clutched his shoulders, dizzy with excitement.

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound echoed over them, causing them to break apart.

His eyes were heavy-lidded and his lips swollen from their all-consuming make out session. Her hair was in disarray and she had to rearrange her dress.

She took a deep breath.

He spoke first."We need to get back."

She nodded. She grabbed her flowers and let him lead her back to the central salon, where their friends and family were celebrating their accomplishments.

They squeezed each other's hands, letting this one slip up carry on quietly into the night.

Once they reached the door, they stepped away from each other, determined to never bring it up again.

###

"I knew you guys were going to end up together," Kaoru grinned.

Hikaru knocked into his shoulder, grinning as well. "It would have happened sooner if you two weren't so stubborn."

Toya and Raiden exchanged looks. Raiden blushed. Toya laced his fingers through his.

Kaoru looked to his brother. "I was expecting Rei-senpai to get together with someone."

"Me too," Hikaru added. "Oh well. It would've been Mori-senpai, right? Especially after the play thing."

The twins shrugged.

The twins looked around them, noting the graduating seniors, Kyouya, and Haruhi, and Tamaki. "Can you believe it's been almost two years since you first walked into the host club? Wow. Everything has changed since then."

Raiden couldn't help grinning. He felt Toya tighten his hold on his hand. "I'm glad I did."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. - <strong>Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought :)

Final chapter. Next is the epilogue! This was actually going to serve as an epilogue, but there was some more elements I wanted to include so I decided to create two separate chapters. I also needed a much better "closing" to the story.

Review Reply: To Fluffy - thanks for reviewing! Thank you for your kind words x 10! I'll take what you said to heart. You never know!


	29. Epilogue - Growing Up is a Hard Thing

Epilogue - Growing Up is a Hard Thing to Swallow

Raiden nodded in approval. He'd gone up a few spots on the class list for top test scores. He'd gotten a ten percent jump since his last test. His father would definitely let him see Toya over the summer.

He ran down the hall, determined to reach the archery dojo, and get that afternoon's practice over with when he went crashing into a warm body, knocking himself and the other person over.

"Raiden!" A familiar voice groaned.

Hikaru stood next to them, giggling behind his hand.

Raiden blushed profusely. He had pinned Kaoru to the floor, his book bag and books lying next to him. "I'm so sorry!" Raiden scrambled into an upright position. He reached for Kaoru's books and held them out for him.

Kaoru grabbed his book bag and his books. "Thanks." He stood upright. "You're way too energetic, Raiden. What's going on?"

A blush was still plastered over his face. He shrugged. "It's nothing." He wasn't about ready to admit how excited he was to finally see Toya after four months of just chatting online, calling, and video calling. He needed to see him in person.

"Did you hear?" Hikaru asked suddenly.

"Hear what?"

"Haruhi's final decision," Kaoru jumped in.

"For America?" Raiden asked.

The twins nodded. "She's going."

Raiden felt his heart drop, his previous excited mood gone.

* * *

><p>Haruhi decided to leave earlier than expected. She wanted to get used to her surroundings in Boston before she started her fall semester at an American high school.<p>

Raiden sighed. He couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. He was so preoccupied with his studying and his potential trip to Kyoto that he'd forgotten Haruhi's upcoming departure.

Everyone in his class and customers of the host club had been helping her prepare for this day.

Raiden placed his arm on Haruhi's shoulder. "Haruhi, my sister-"

"Wait!"

The hosts stood still, lurching at a voice they hadn't heard in months.

"Haruhi!" Reina barreled through them, grabbing her, and pulling her into a tight embrace. "I told Raiden I wouldn't be able to make it, but I couldn't help it. I had to come see you off. Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're leaving!"

"Nee-chan?" Raiden tried to reach out.

"Rei-senpai," Haruhi groaned, pushing the taller girl off her. "It's just for a year. I'll email you. I promise."

Reina wiped away some stray tears. "Okay. Promise!"

Raiden grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her away from Haruhi.

Reina took a deep breath and then let her eyes rest on Tamaki. "Take good care of her."

Haruhi began to protest beside her, but Reina and Tamaki ignored her.

"Don't do anything stupid," Reina pointed a finger to his chest, "but do experience everything that you can."

Tamaki began to cry. "Yes, senpai!"

"Take care of yourself."

He nodded, sniffling into his arm.

Raiden and Haruhi exchanged a quiet look of understanding.

Tamaki hugged her tightly. "Thank you, senpai."

"Let me know if you ever need anything."

He nodded.

The rest of the group finished up their goodbyes and watched as Haruhi and Tamaki boarded their flight. Later, they watched as their plane took off.

Reina released a soft sigh. "I have a lunch meeting with our uncle," she turned to face Raiden, "you want to come?"

"Why?"

She nudged his shoulder. "We're discussing someone's marriage. Isn't it exciting?"

"Marriage?" Hani squealed.

Reina's eyebrows rose. She'd forgotten the others were standing there. "Yeah. Akihiko is engaged! I don't know how he didn't, the sly dog. So," she returned her attention to her brother, "you want to come?"

"I don't know," he hesitated.

A knowing smile spread along her lips. "Oh? You're too busy getting ready for your _trip_? I see. That's fine. I'll just go by myself."

"What?" He stammered. "How, how do you know about my trip?"

"Baby brother," she wrapped an arm around his neck. "I know everything." She looked over her shoulder. "Just how I know our _friends _over here are going to be quite busy over the next few days...and year. Come on, how about you walk me out?"

Raiden looked over his shoulder, straining to see the host club.

Reina waved gingerly. "Bye!"

The host club stared after them, not really sure what just happened.

* * *

><p>To: Kaoru Hitachiin<p>

Subject: How's Boston?

How's Boston treating you? I can't believe you guys are going to be in America for a whole year! Make sure to take a lot of pictures.

I spent about two weeks in Kyoto. Toya took me to a ton of temples and shrines. He took me to a few museums. We even had dinner on top of Kyoto Tower. We got lost in the main station once.

The highlight of my trip, probably, was going to the Moriyama main household. I haven't been there in years. It's just as beautiful and large as I remembered. I'll be honest, I was scared to go, but my sister reassured me that it was okay. You're probably wondering how I was able to even step through the outer gates. Well, my grandmother and grandfather had a falling out after the incident with my sister. I suppose that was the last straw for my grandmother. You can't disown two children and ignore three grandchildren just because of a grudge.

When I arrived at the main house, she welcomed me with open arms and it was like nothing had passed between us. It was weird, but I'm happy she's back in my life and we're back in hers.

Well, I'll let you go. Don't forget to study!

Sincerely,

Raiden Moriyama

* * *

><p>To: Tamaki Suoh (Prince)<p>

Subject: Re: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

Tamaki! When I said you can email me for whatever reason, I didn't mean this!

If you want to take Haruhi on a romantic date, how about taking her on a picnic. Make sure the weather is nice and just go to the park. Pack the food and a blanket. Dinner and a movie can go a long way if you know how to fill in the awkward silence.

How are you doing? I hope you're keeping up with your studies!

Next time, be mindful of the time difference,

Reina Moriyama

* * *

><p>To: Reina Moriyama<p>

Subject: Re: Re: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

The picnic idea was a success. Thank you!

We're all doing well.

Hani has found a bakery that he visits almost every week. Hani and Mori are both enjoying their classes at the university. However, I don't know if their study abroad program is for a whole year or just a semester.

Hikaru and Kaoru are doing surprisingly well.

Haruhi is studying hard. We're all studying hard, but I try to make her go sightseeing every now and then.

Kyouya is enjoying his time here as well. I think. He's taken a tour of the university Hani and Mori currently attend. He's keeping up with his studies as well and has gone sightseeing with us. He doesn't stay in doors like I thought he would.

I know you said it was okay for me to contact you, but can the others email you as well?

Ever Your Friend,

Tamaki Suoh

* * *

><p>To: Kaoru Hitachiin<p>

Subject: Re: What?!

Tamaki did what?! Oh my god. That is so embarrassing. I hope Haruhi's alright.

School is off to a great start. I'm sure a lot of the customers are disappointed you won't be here for the fall and winter terms, but they're keeping their spirits high.

Satoshi and Yasuchika won't stop following me around. It's weird.

My sister did comment that she's sad she graduated - only because she missed out on a chance to go to high school with Satoshi and Chika.

Keep up with your studies!

Sincerely,

Raiden Moriyama

* * *

><p>To: Kyouya Ootori (Shadow King)<p>

Subject: Re: *Glaring*

You can't honestly think I'd marry the first guy who looks my way. I have standards! They're a little high, but they're there! Why are you so concerned about who I date anyway? You're just jealous because I'm in college and I'm surrounded by attractive undergrads. No! I'm not seeing anyone...

Anyway, don't grow up so fast. It's not like it's all fun and games, not that you cared about fun and games to begin with.

Don't stay cooped up studying all the time. Experience it. It must be so exciting to be in Boston and studying abroad. I can't wait to get my chance. Do you think I should study abroad during my undergrad program or maybe wait until I start a master's degree program? There's so many options and I love that!

Our family dynamic has changed quite a bit (you would know - sheesh). My grandfather is in the hospital. My grandmother has reestablished connection with us. She's accepted Akihiko and is looking forward to his marriage (I think she's looking forward to great-grandchildren, mostly).

My uncle is trying out a new venture and asked if I wanted to help him. I think I might, but I don't want to attach myself to it. I have so many projects on my mind right now. I think I want to work on something on my own for awhile.

There's so much to consider and we have our whole lives ahead of us.

Take care of yourself and give my love to the boys.

Reina Moriyama

* * *

><p>To: Haruhi Fujioka<p>

Subject: Re: Studying Hard

I'm so glad to hear that everything is going okay.

Honestly, I think the girls at school miss the host club quite a bit, but they're even more shocked that you're actually a girl. That came as a huge surprise for them.

Did you really go to Spain over your holiday break? That is so cool. I hope the guys didn't cause you any trouble. Did you take pictures?

I miss you guys. Although, it seems like I'm having an extended break from 'nonsense'.

I've gotten pretty close too Satoshi and Yasuchika. They're cool and fun to be around. Although, I'm not used to being called 'senpai' by them and the new class of freshman.

Reina is doing fine. She's currently working with my uncle on a new project of his and is doing well at U of Tokyo. She moved out of the house and has an apartment closer to school.

Akihiko and his fiancee have planned their wedding for April. My father is so excited.

Tanaka-senpai said he's considering making me captain of the archery club when he graduates in March. Can you believe that? The thought makes me so nervous.

I'm looking forward to your return. I can't wait to hear all your stories.

Our third year is almost upon us. It's crazy how life can go by so quickly.

Your Friend,

Raiden Moriyama

The End

* * *

><p>A.N. - The end! I hope you enjoyed Living Different Lives to the fullest. I really tried my best with this story and I appreciate it oh so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, and followed - you guys are the best!<p>

This is the end guys. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought :)


	30. Author's Note - LDL Extended Info

First off, I want to thank all of you for tagging along on this great writing venture. This is my first fanfiction that I've published (and completed)! It's a big feat for me and I'm incredibly proud of what I've done.

I personally think I could have written this story way better. There might be some plot holes and odd character development, but I tried my best. I tried to work with the skills I have and I hope the story was readable and enjoyable anyway.

For this update I thought I'd include some extra tidbits about the story. Just some random facts and such. Enjoy!

**Living Different Lives - Why I chose the title**

For most of the story, Raiden and Reina's storyline is told in the presence of the host club. This is for writing sake, but also for communication.

There is a lack of communication between Raiden and Reina. Also, as an extension there's some communication issues between the Moriyama siblings and the host club.

Everything is about communication (I hope that came across).

Communication between siblings, friends, and love interests. All that good stuff.

Also, compared to the host club, both Raiden and Reina, lead very different lives.

**Pairings **

I originally planned to pair Raiden and Kaoru together, but then Toya suddenly came into the picture. Toya was originally going to work as a distraction for Raiden and help resolve his feelings for Kaoru, but that totally backfired with his development. I had to take into account Kaoru's feelings as well. I also considered sticking to canon and just leaving Kaoru without a match.

I originally planned Reina to end up with Mori. They like each other they really do, but the way Reina developed, they're just not well suited for each other and hopefully Reina was able to convey that. Now, there was some Kyouya x Reina going on as well, because I thought they'd end up together or at least getting closer, which they did. Honestly, If Reina ends up with anyone from the host club I think it'd be Kyouya, but that probably wouldn't happen until later or maybe never. They're both pretty stubborn.

**Song Inspiration**

Music was a big part of this story, even though none of the characters are musically inclined. I just like writing to music.

I've created a few playlists on soundcloud that include music featured in the story and music that I think describe Raiden and Reina for the most part. I'll post a link to the playlists on my account profile.

**Future of Raiden and Reina**

For the most part, I'm satisfied with how this story ended, but it is left opened ended for a reason. I'd love to come back to these characters and continue to write their story. For now, I don't see that happening, but I think I would like to come back to them and write a "sequel".

Again, thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate it.

If you have any other questions go ahead and review or send me a message.

Also, if you have any Ouran fanfic requests let me know. I really want to write another and I'd love to see some ideas.

Anyway, Thanks for reading!


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